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E1400Modified starchLow concern
Dextrins
In plain words
The short version
Roasted-starch dextrins — a thickening agent and the classic gum used in postage stamp glue.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
ADI not specified — considered safe. Dietary fate is identical to other digestible starch. Some forms behave as a partial soluble fiber depending on the heat treatment.
The detail
Produced by dry roasting native starch (often with a trace of acid catalyst) until partial depolymerization — the same chemistry that browns toast crusts. Color and solubility depend on the heat treatment; "yellow dextrin" is more browned and more soluble than "white dextrin".
Used in instant soups and sauces as a low-viscosity thickener, in infant cereals (where partial pre-digestion improves digestibility), in encapsulated and coated foods, and historically as the adhesive on envelopes and postage stamps. Less heavily modified than the chemically modified starches.
Cream to yellow-brown powder depending on roast. Soluble in cold water (vs the higher temperature needed for native starch). Forms low-viscosity solutions.
In the EU, white or yellow dextrin and roasted or dextrinated starch are not considered food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008), so the EU food-additive rules, including E numbers, do not apply to them.
Sources
- WHO JECFA database: Dextrins, white and yellow, roasted starch (INS 1400), ADI not specified (82nd meeting, 2016) — WHO / FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2016. ADI not specified
- US eCFR: 21 CFR 184.1277 Dextrin (GRAS) — US Office of the Federal Register / FDA, 2026. US status: no limitation other than GMP
- EU: Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, Article 3(2)(a)(vi) — European Union (EUR-Lex), 2008. EU status: dextrins are not classed as food additives
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.