Distarch Glycerol (E1411): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Manufacturers cross-link food starch with glycerol bridges to make distarch glycerol, a modified starch that resists heat, acid and shear better than native starch and stabilises texture in processed foods. Intestinal enzymes hydrolyse it to glucose much like ordinary starch, and unabsorbed fractions ferment in the colon. EFSA's re-evaluation of the closely related phosphate-crosslinked modified starches found no safety concern and set no numerical ADI. It is not on the EU or UK list of permitted modified starches, which authorises the phosphate- and adipate-crosslinked forms rather than the glycerol-crosslinked ones.
- Category
- Modified Starch / Thickener — Modified starch
- Typically used in
- Thickener and stabiliser in sauces, soups, canned foods, dairy desserts and bakery fillings, where permitted.
- Regulatory status
- Not authorised as a food additive in the EU or UK; the permitted modified-starch list covers phosphate- and adipate-crosslinked analogues such as distarch phosphate E1412, not the glycerol-crosslinked form.
Scrannr flags Distarch Glycerol automatically when you scan a barcode.
Where this comes from
- EFSA (2017) — Re-evaluation of oxidised starch and other modified starches as food additives https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7009865/
- UK Food Standards Agency (2024) — Approved additives and E numbers https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers
Products containing Distarch Glycerol
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