E1411 — Distarch glycerol
Why it’s used
A cross-linked modified starch made by reacting starch with epichlorohydrin, linking two starch chains through glyceryl bridges to make the granule far more resistant to heat, shear, and acidic conditions than native starch. It was historically used as a thickener and stabilizer in retort-processed, high-shear, or acidic foods such as canned sauces and soups, though it has been largely superseded in current commercial practice by the phosphate- and acetate-cross-linked starches (E1412-E1414).
Other names
Glyceryl distarch, Starch, polymer with (chloromethyl)oxirane
Diet flags
Regulatory status
Listed in the FDA's Substances Added to Food database as a GRAS stabilizer/thickener (SCOGS Report No. 115, CAS 58944-89-1), consistent with the general epichlorohydrin-etherification provisions for modified starch under 21 CFR 172.892(e). Source (2026-07-24)
Distarch glycerol is not among the modified starches authorized in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (only E1404, E1410, E1412-E1414, E1420, E1422, E1440, E1442, and E1450-E1452 are listed), so it has no EU food-additive authorization. Source (2026-07-24)
Regulatory status by region
FDA's Substances Added to Food database lists distarch glycerol directly as a GRAS stabilizer/thickener via a Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) evaluation, and its epichlorohydrin chemistry falls under 21 CFR 172.892(e)'s general modified-starch etherification limits. The EU, by contrast, never added distarch glycerol to Annex II's closed list of authorized modified starches — only E1404, E1410, E1412-E1414, E1420, E1422, E1440, E1442, and E1450-E1452 are EU-authorized — so despite carrying the Codex/INS number 1411, it has no valid E-number use in the EU.
See the FDA detail: the US recognizes distarch glycerol as a GRAS food starch under its Substances Added to Food database and 21 CFR 172.892(e)'s etherification provisions, while the EU's Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 authorizes only 12 specific modified starches and distarch glycerol is not among them, leaving it without EU approval as a food additive.
Found in these products
None of the products in our database currently contain E1411.