Distarch glycerine
A chemically modified starch crosslinked with glycerine. Not currently listed as a permitted food additive in the UK or EU positive list.
E1430 does not appear on the UK FSA approved additives list or in EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II. In EU and UK food law the permitted list is exhaustive: a substance not on it cannot be legally used as a food additive. Look for 'E1430' or 'distarch glycerine' on labels and query manufacturers if you see it.
What is it?
Distarch glycerine is a chemically modified starch in which glycerine (glycerol) molecules are used as crosslinking agents to form bridges between starch chains. Starch granules from sources such as maize, wheat, potato or tapioca are treated with glycerol under controlled conditions to create a three-dimensional network within the granule. The glycerine-crosslinked structure is related to other distarch derivatives such as distarch phosphate (E1412) and distarch adipate (E1422), but uses glycerol rather than phosphate or adipate as the crosslinking agent.
What does it do?
Crosslinking starch with glycerine creates a reinforced molecular network inside the starch granule. This makes the starch more resistant to breakdown under processing conditions including high heat, prolonged cooking, low pH (acidic foods) and mechanical shear (e.g. high-speed mixing, pumping). The result is improved texture stability in cooked and processed foods, where native starches would thin or break down. The crosslinked structure also slows digestion relative to native starch, though the practical effect in food at typical use levels is modest.
Where you will see it
If used as a food ingredient, distarch glycerine would be expected to appear in processed sauces, soups, dressings, dairy-style desserts, canned or retorted foods, and convenience meal components, where heat-stable thickening is needed. On a label it would appear as 'E1430' or 'distarch glycerine' or under the generic term 'modified starch'. Its practical presence in UK and EU products is uncertain given its absence from the permitted additives list; any product in those markets carrying it would raise a compliance question.
What the science says
Modified starches as a group: digestibility and safety evaluation
Modified food starches, including glycerol-crosslinked types, are digested by gut amylases in broadly the same way as native starch, breaking down to glucose. EFSA evaluated 12 specific modified starches in its 2017 re-evaluation opinion and found no toxicological concern at the levels used in food for those substances. E1430 was not included in that evaluation, meaning it has not received a published EFSA safety opinion under the current re-evaluation programme.
EFSA's 2017 re-evaluation of modified starches (E1404, E1410, E1412, E1413, E1414, E1420, E1422, E1440, E1442, E1450, E1451, E1452) found no safety concern and set no numerical ADI; E1430 was not among the substances evaluated.
Regulatory status: absence from the EU and UK permitted list
EU food additive law operates a positive list under Regulation 1333/2008. Only substances explicitly listed in Annex II may be used as food additives; anything not listed is not permitted. E1430 does not appear on the UK FSA's published list of approved additives and E numbers, which is the authoritative post-Brexit reference for the UK market. It is also absent from the EFSA 2017 re-evaluation scope, unlike the 12 modified starches that were formally reviewed and confirmed.
The UK FSA's approved additives and E numbers list, which reflects the assimilated version of EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II, does not include E1430 among the permitted modified starches. Modified starches listed run from E1404 to E1452 but E1430 is not among them.
EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives establishes a positive list: only substances appearing in Annex II are permitted for use as food additives in the EU. A substance bearing an E number that is not in the Annex is not authorised.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
Because E1430 does not appear on the UK or EU permitted additives list, any product in those markets carrying it as a declared additive would be a compliance concern regardless of individual health considerations. If you see E1430 on a UK food label, contact the manufacturer or report it to the FSA. People sourcing products from outside the UK and EU (particularly from markets with different permitted lists) should be aware this additive may be used legally in those jurisdictions.
The honest read
The science on glycerol-crosslinked starches as a class is not alarming. Related distarch derivatives (such as E1412 and E1422) are well-studied and EFSA found no toxicological concern for those. The issue with E1430 is regulatory, not primarily toxicological: the substance simply does not appear on the authoritative UK and EU positive lists. Some secondary food databases list it as if it were approved, which creates confusion. The absence of an EFSA opinion on E1430 specifically means there is no published EU-level safety conclusion for this particular modification. Whether that reflects a decision that it was never submitted for authorisation, that it is considered covered by a broader category, or that it is genuinely not in use in the UK and EU market, cannot be determined from the public record without further regulatory enquiry.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E1430 banned in the UK?
E1430 does not appear on the UK FSA's list of approved food additives, which is the exhaustive permitted list for the UK market. Under UK food additive law (assimilated from EU Regulation 1333/2008), any substance not on the positive list is not permitted for use. Whether this reflects an active ban or simply never having been submitted for authorisation is unclear from the public record.
Why does E1430 appear on some food databases if it is not on the approved list?
Crowdsourced databases such as Open Food Facts and many secondary glossary sites compile E number entries without verifying current regulatory status against the FSA or EU Annex II. An E number code may have appeared in older or draft documentation, or may be legally permitted in other countries (such as Australia or the US), and secondary sources then carry it as if universally approved. The authoritative sources for UK and EU status are the FSA approved-additives list and EU Regulation 1333/2008 Annex II.
What foods contain E1430?
Because E1430 is not on the UK or EU permitted additives list, it should not be present in food products sold in those markets as a declared additive. Products from other markets with different regulatory frameworks may contain it. As a glycerol-crosslinked starch, its intended applications would be similar to other heat-stable modified starches: processed sauces, soups, canned foods and convenience meal components.
Is E1430 vegan?
The modification chemistry uses glycerol as a crosslinking agent. Glycerol can be derived from plant oils or animal fats. If E1430 were in a product, the vegan status would depend on the source of both the base starch and the glycerol used in the crosslinking process. Manufacturers would need to confirm the source.
Sources
- UK FSA approved additives and E numbers
- EFSA ANS Panel re-evaluation of modified starches (E1404-E1452), EFSA Journal 2017;15(10):4911
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Annex II (assimilated in UK law)
- European Commission 2024 call for data on modified starches
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