Phosphated distarch phosphate
A twice-modified starch used to thicken and stabilise processed foods, keeping sauces and fillings smooth under heat, freezing, or acid.
What is it?
Phosphated distarch phosphate is a starch that has been chemically modified in two ways: cross-linked using phosphate groups to strengthen the starch granule network, and simultaneously esterified with phosphate to improve its stability. The source starch is typically maize, potato, wheat, tapioca, or rice. The dual modification gives it properties neither native starch nor a singly-modified starch can achieve.
What does it do?
Cross-linking tightens the bonds between starch chains so the granules resist breaking down under high heat, strong shear (stirring, pumping), and acidic conditions. The phosphate esterification adds a slight negative charge that keeps the swollen granules repelling each other, preventing clumping and maintaining a smooth, stable gel. The result is a thickener that holds its texture through cooking, freezing, thawing, and low-pH environments where plain starch would collapse or thin out.
Where you will see it
Ready meals and cook-in sauces, canned soups, fruit pie fillings, baby food, salad dressings, mayonnaise-style products, frozen entrees, instant puddings, and low-fat dairy desserts. On a UK ingredient label it appears as 'modified starch', 'modified maize starch', 'modified tapioca starch', or by its E number E1413.
What the science says
EFSA re-evaluation: no safety concern at food use levels
In 2017 the European Food Safety Authority re-evaluated twelve modified starches including E1413. Reviewers examined metabolism studies, genotoxicity data, and dietary exposure estimates. They concluded there was no safety concern for the general population, including infants and young children, at the levels used in food. No numerical acceptable daily intake was considered necessary.
EFSA concluded that phosphated distarch phosphate (E1413) and the other modified starches in the group present no safety concern at reported use and use levels for any population group, including infants.
Digestion and metabolism
Modified starches are broken down in the digestive tract in essentially the same way as native starch, producing glucose. The phosphate groups introduced during modification are released and absorbed as inorganic phosphate, the same dietary mineral found in dairy, meat, and legumes. At the small quantities present in food, the additional phosphate load from E1413 is nutritionally insignificant for most people.
Modified food starches, including cross-linked and phosphate-esterified types, are hydrolysed to glucose by amylases and are not considered toxicologically distinct from native starch at food use concentrations.
Phosphate load: a contextual note for kidney patients
All phosphate-modified starches contribute a small amount of inorganic phosphate to the diet. For healthy people this is inconsequential. People with chronic kidney disease who must restrict dietary phosphate are advised by their dietitian to monitor phosphate from all processed-food sources, including modified starches. This is a dietary management issue rather than a toxicological one.
Inorganic phosphate additives in processed foods contribute to total dietary phosphate load; people with chronic kidney disease requiring phosphate restriction are advised to limit intake of foods containing phosphate additives.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
People with coeliac disease or wheat allergy should check the starch source when E1413 is declared as 'modified wheat starch', as wheat-derived modified starch may carry trace gluten. People managing dietary phosphate on medical advice (typically those with chronic kidney disease) should factor phosphate-containing additives into their overall intake. Look for 'modified starch', 'modified wheat starch', or 'E1413' on the label.
The honest read
E1413 is one of a family of chemically modified starches that have been in the food supply for decades. The 2017 EFSA re-evaluation found no toxicological concerns from the modifications themselves. The main practical consideration is source-starch allergenicity for wheat-sensitive consumers, and phosphate management for people on renal diets. A 2024 call for additional data by the European Commission is a routine part of the ongoing review programme for food additive groups, not a signal of identified harm. The science on modified starches at food-use levels is long-established and consistent.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E1413 banned in the UK?
No. E1413 is permitted in the UK under the FSA approved-additives list and assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008. It was re-evaluated by EFSA in 2017 and no safety concern was identified.
Does E1413 contain phosphate, and is that a problem?
Yes, phosphate groups are part of the modification. For most people the amount of phosphate from E1413 in food is negligible compared with naturally occurring dietary phosphate in dairy, meat, and pulses. People with chronic kidney disease who follow a low-phosphate diet are advised to limit all phosphate additives in processed food and should discuss this with their dietitian.
What foods contain E1413?
Commonly found in ready meals, cook-in sauces, canned soups, fruit pie fillings, frozen entrees, salad dressings, instant puddings, and some baby foods. On a label it typically appears as 'modified starch' or 'modified maize starch' rather than by its E number.
Is E1413 vegan?
Yes. Phosphated distarch phosphate is derived entirely from plant starches (maize, potato, wheat, tapioca, or rice) and the chemical reagents used in modification are not animal-derived.
Sources
- EFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of modified starches (E1404-E1452) as food additives, EFSA Journal 2017
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- European Commission call for data on modified starches, 2024
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (Annex II)
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