Back to catalogSafety
E1450Modified starchLow concern
Starch Sodium Octenyl Succinate
In plain words
The short version
OSA-starch — the modified starch that emulsifies and encapsulates fat-soluble flavors and vitamins.
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. Digestion proceeds like other modified starches; OSA side groups are hydrolyzed to octenyl succinic acid and metabolized normally.
The detail
Manufactured by reacting native starch (typically waxy maize) with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA), grafting hydrophobic octenyl chains onto the polysaccharide backbone. The result is an amphiphilic starch that behaves as a stable food emulsifier.
Uniquely able to emulsify and encapsulate oils, fat-soluble flavors, and vitamins into water-dispersible powders. Used in powdered beverage flavors, vitamin and omega-3 powders, powdered fat for nutrition bars, encapsulated natural colors (curcumin, β-carotene), and clouding agents for diet beverages.
Off-white free-flowing powder. Disperses easily in cold water; forms stable o/w emulsions with hydrophobic actives. Heat-stable in typical food applications.
Permitted globally without restrictive limits.
Sources
- EFSA ANS Panel — Re-evaluation of oxidised starch (E 1404) … starch sodium octenyl succinate (E 1450) … and starch aluminium octenyl succinate (E 1452) as food additives (2017) — EFSA (EFSA Journal), 2017. Safety: no safety concern and no need for a numerical ADI
- WHO JECFA database — Starch sodium octenylsuccinate (INS 1450) — WHO / FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2014. Safety: ADI 'not specified' confirmed (including infant formula use up to 20 g/L)
- US eCFR — 21 CFR 172.892 Food starch-modified — U.S. eCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Regulation: US permits OSA-modified food starch, with OSA treatment capped at 3%
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 establishing the Union list of food additives — Publications Office of the EU (Official Journal L 295), 2011. Regulation: E 1450 authorised in the EU at quantum satis (Group I)
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.