Distarch Glycerine (E1430): What It Is and Is It Safe?
Distarch glycerine is food starch cross-linked through glycerol bridges, which raises viscosity and improves resistance to heat, acid and mechanical shear in sauces, fillings and canned foods. The cross-linked polymer is digested essentially like native starch, being hydrolysed to glucose by amylase and fermented in the colon. It is not on the EU or UK list of permitted modified starches, which covers the phosphate-crosslinked equivalents such as distarch phosphate E1412.
- Category
- Modified Starch / Thickener — Modified starch
- Typically used in
- Thickener and stabiliser in sauces, fillings and canned foods, where permitted.
- Regulatory status
- Not authorised as a food additive in the EU or UK; the permitted list uses phosphate cross-linking rather than glycerol.
Scrannr flags Distarch Glycerine 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 Glycerine
We're building product pages that show real UK products containing Distarch Glycerine, using Open Food Facts data. They'll appear here soon — in the meantime, scan any barcode with the Scrannr app to check for it instantly.
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