E-numbers / Other additives / E1452
also: SAOS · Aluminium starch octenylsuccinate · Modified starch E1452
A modified starch used to coat and stabilise vitamins inside food supplement capsules. The aluminium component raises an exposure concern at high intake.
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At the levels permitted by law, regular use of vitamin supplements containing E1452 can contribute a meaningful share of the weekly aluminium limit set by regulators, particularly for people already taking multiple supplements.
Why it’s worth knowing. At the levels permitted by law, regular use of vitamin supplements containing E1452 can contribute a meaningful share of the weekly aluminium limit set by regulators, particularly for people already taking multiple supplements.
A modified food starch made by treating starch with octenyl succinic anhydride and then reacting it with aluminium sulphate. The result is a starch derivative with a hydrophobic (oil-attracting) outer shell that can encapsulate oils and active substances.
The waxy coating allows it to surround oil-based nutrients (such as fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K) and hold them in a stable, free-flowing powder form. Inside a capsule, it protects the vitamin from moisture and oxidation and controls how quickly the contents are released.
Almost exclusively in vitamin and mineral supplement capsules and tablets. Its use is narrowly restricted to this category under UK and EU food law. It does not appear in everyday grocery foods. On a supplement label it appears as 'starch aluminium octenyl succinate' or 'E1452' in the ingredients list.
Aluminium is a cumulative metal that the body absorbs slowly from food, water, and food additives. Regulators set a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg of aluminium per kilogram of body weight per week to protect against long-term accumulation. EFSA calculated that at the maximum permitted levels of E1452 in supplements, mean exposure to aluminium from this additive alone reaches up to 26% of that TWI, and at the 95th percentile (highest consumers) can reach 47%. At the lower levels that manufacturers actually report using, the contribution is much smaller, below 3% at the 95th percentile. The gap between what is legally allowed and what is actually used is large, and EFSA specifically asked the European Commission to verify real-world usage.
At the regulatory maximum permitted level, aluminium exposure from E1452 reached up to 26% of the tolerable weekly intake at the mean and up to 47% at the 95th percentile of consumers.
At industry-reported use levels, aluminium exposure from E1452 was below 3% of the TWI at the 95th percentile, substantially lower than the regulatory maximum scenario.
EFSA recommended the European Commission seek confirmation on the actual use of E1452, given the discrepancy between permitted maximum levels and industry-reported use levels.
Aluminium is not a nutrient. The body has limited mechanisms to excrete it efficiently, so long-term elevated exposure leads to accumulation, primarily in bone and the nervous system. EFSA's TWI is based on animal studies showing neurological and reproductive harm at sustained higher doses. Human epidemiological data on dietary aluminium are observational and do not establish firm causation, but the accumulation principle is the basis for regulators setting a precautionary limit.
EFSA established a tolerable weekly intake of 1 mg aluminium per kilogram of body weight per week based on animal studies showing neurological and reproductive effects at sustained exposure.
Aluminium accumulates primarily in bone and the central nervous system. At high chronic exposure in animal studies, neurological and reproductive harm was observed.
The starch backbone of E1452 is not absorbed intact. It is hydrolysed by digestive enzymes in the small intestine and fermented by gut bacteria in the large intestine, producing short-chain fatty acids in the same way as other dietary starches. EFSA found no genotoxic concern from the starch portion and concluded that modified starches as a class do not raise a concern at reported use levels. The aluminium component, not the starch, is the specific flag for this additive.
Modified starches including E1452 are extensively hydrolysed in the gut; the starch component is not absorbed intact and shows no genotoxic signal in in-silico analyses.
People taking multiple vitamin supplements daily, or who already have elevated aluminium exposure from other sources such as antacids or aluminium cookware, may want to check whether their supplements contain E1452 and consider the cumulative load. Look for 'starch aluminium octenyl succinate' or 'E1452' on the supplement ingredients panel.
E1452 sits in an unusual position: the starch part is as ordinary as any modified food starch, but the aluminium tag is the reason it carries a flag. The real-world exposure from actual supplement formulations is modest, well below regulatory limits. The concern is structural: the permitted legal maximum would, for a high-dose supplement user, push aluminium intake to nearly half the weekly limit from this single additive before accounting for aluminium from food, water, cookware, or medicines. Regulators noted the gap and asked for better use data. The science on long-term low-level aluminium accumulation in humans is observational and not settled.
No. E1452 is approved in the UK and EU, but its use is tightly restricted to food supplements, specifically vitamin preparations for encapsulation. It is not permitted in everyday grocery foods.
The aluminium salt reacts with the modified starch to create a hydrophobic coating that allows fat-soluble vitamins to be converted into stable, free-flowing powders suitable for filling capsules. The aluminium becomes chemically bound to the starch rather than remaining as a free salt.
Legally, only vitamin and mineral supplements in capsule or tablet form. Under UK and EU law it cannot be added to standard grocery products. It is uncommon even within supplements because most encapsulation uses starch sodium octenyl succinate (E1450), which contains no aluminium.
Yes. It is derived from plant starch and processed with aluminium salts and octenyl succinic anhydride. No animal-derived ingredients are involved.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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