E-numbers / Other additives / E1411
also: Di-starch glycerol · Modified starch
A cross-linked modified starch used to keep sauces, fillings and desserts stable under heat, stirring and acidity.
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This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Why it’s worth knowing. This is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Distarch glycerol is a chemically modified starch made by reacting plant starch (from maize, wheat, potato or tapioca) with glycerol, which creates bridges between starch chains. The result is a thicker, more resilient starch network than the unmodified original.
The cross-links hold the starch granule structure together when it is heated, stirred or exposed to acid. This prevents the gel from breaking down or becoming watery in conditions that would cause ordinary starch to fail. It acts as a thickener, stabiliser and texturiser.
Canned and jarred soups and sauces, fruit pie fillings, custards and dessert gels, baby foods, low-fat dairy products, salad dressings and processed meat products. On a UK label it appears as 'distarch glycerol' or 'E1411', usually within an ingredients list entry such as 'modified starch (E1411)'.
Cross-linked starches are largely resistant to digestion in the small intestine and reach the colon largely intact, where they behave similarly to dietary fibre. At the levels used in food, the glycerol bridges are considered too stable and too few in number to release significant free glycerol under normal gut conditions. No adverse gut effects have been identified at typical dietary intake levels.
Chemically modified starches in Annex II of EU Regulation 1333/2008, including distarch glycerol, were reviewed by EFSA's Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS). The panel concluded that this group of modified starches does not raise safety concerns at the levels used as food additives.
When E1411 is made from wheat starch, the manufacturing process typically removes the gluten protein. However, trace residues may remain. People with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy should check the label for the source starch, as manufacturers are required to declare wheat origin when present.
Under UK food labelling law, modified starch derived from wheat must declare 'wheat' in the ingredients list so that people with coeliac disease or wheat allergy can identify it.
People with coeliac disease or a wheat allergy should check the label for the origin of the starch. When wheat is the source, the label must say 'wheat' (for example 'modified wheat starch (E1411)'). Maize, potato or tapioca-derived versions carry no gluten.
Distarch glycerol is one of the most ordinary ingredients in processed food. Cross-linked modified starches have been in the food supply for decades, used to stop sauces going watery. The glycerol bridges added to make it cross-linked are at very low levels relative to the starch bulk. EFSA reviewed the whole class of modified starches and found nothing requiring a numerical safety limit. The only practical consideration for most shoppers is checking the starch source if gluten is a concern.
E1411 is not authorised as a food additive in Great Britain. It does not appear in Annex II of the assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, and the FSA's food additive authorisations register holds no entry for it. The modified starches that are authorised are E1404, E1410, E1412, E1413, E1414, E1420, E1422, E1440, E1442, E1450, E1451 and E1452.
It depends on the source starch. When made from wheat, trace gluten may remain and the label must declare 'wheat'. When made from maize, potato or tapioca it contains no gluten. Check the label for the source.
Canned soups and sauces, fruit pie fillings, custard desserts, baby foods, low-fat salad dressings and some processed meat products. It appears as 'modified starch (E1411)' or 'distarch glycerol' in the ingredients list.
Yes. Distarch glycerol is derived entirely from plant starch (maize, wheat, potato or tapioca) and glycerol. No animal-derived ingredients are used in its production.
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