Starches and the industry

Modified starches[edit]

A modified starch is a starch that has been chemically modified to allow the starch to function properly under conditions frequently encountered during processing or storage, such as high heat, high shear, low pH, freeze/thaw and cooling.

The modified food starches are E coded according to the International Numbering System for Food Additives (INS):^[38]

• 1400 Dextrin
• 1401 Acid-treated starch
• 1402 Alkaline-treated starch
• 1403 Bleached starch
• 1404 Oxidized starch
• 1405 Starches, enzyme-treated
• 1410 Monostarch phosphate
• 1412 Distarch phosphate
• 1413 Phosphated distarch phosphate
• 1414 Acetylated distarch phosphate
• 1420 Starch acetate
• 1422 Acetylated distarch adipate
• 1440 Hydroxypropyl starch
• 1442 Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate
• 1443 Hydroxypropyl distarch glycerol
• 1450 Starch sodium octenyl succinate
• 1451 Acetylated oxidized starch

INS 1400, 1401, 1402, 1403 and 1405 are in the EU food ingredients without an E-number. Typically modified starches for technical applications are cationic starches, hydroxyethyl starch and carboxymethylated starches.