E1420 - Acetylated starch

At a glance

Here’s the quick picture of what E1420 does and where it fits.

• What it is: Starch that has been lightly acetylated to improve performance in food.
• What it does: Works as a thickener, stabiliser, and sometimes an emulsifier; helps reduce gelling, lumping, and water separation in sauces, fillings, and dairy-style products.
• Status: Permitted in the U.S. as a “food starch-modified” made with specific reagents and limits.¹ Approved in the EU as E1420 with defined purity specifications.²

Why is Acetylated starch added to food?

Food makers use E1420 when they need starch that holds up better in real-world conditions. Acetylation helps starch:

• stay stable under heat, acid, and shear (mixing)
• resist retrogradation (starch firming) and syneresis (water weeping)
• survive freeze–thaw cycles with less texture damage

The result is smoother sauces, clearer glazes, and fillings that don’t leak or toughen during shelf life.

What foods contain Acetylated starch?

You’ll most often find E1420 in everyday convenience foods where reliable texture matters. Examples include:

• soups, sauces, gravies, and marinades
• fruit preps, pie fillings, and glazes
• dairy-style desserts, yogurts, and puddings
• ready meals, canned foods, and baby foods
• baked goods, coatings, and snacks

On EU labels it may appear as “E1420” or “acetylated starch.” In the U.S., it often appears as “modified food starch.”

What can replace Acetylated starch?

Alternatives depend on the job you need done:

• Other modified starches: acetylated distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch adipate, hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, oxidised starch, acetylated oxidised starch, or starch sodium octenyl succinate.
• Gums and hydrocolloids: xanthan gum, guar gum, gellan gum, locust bean gum, sodium alginate, pectins, carrageenan, or agar.

Each choice changes mouthfeel, clarity, freeze–thaw stability, and cost, so swaps are usually tested in the kitchen or pilot plant.

How is Acetylated starch made?

E1420 is produced by treating food starch with small amounts of acetylating agents such as acetic anhydride (related to food-grade acetic acid) or vinyl acetate under controlled conditions. U.S. regulations limit the acetyl content to not more than 2.5% (by weight, as acetyl), and specify permitted processing aids and conditions.¹

Is Acetylated starch safe to eat?

Regulators in the EU and U.S. consider acetylated starch safe when used as intended. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) re-evaluated modified starches and set an “ADI not specified,” noting no safety concern at reported uses and that these starches are digested similarly to native starch (to glucose), with small portions fermented by gut bacteria.³

Does Acetylated starch have any benefits?

Yes—mainly technological benefits:

• better heat, acid, and shear tolerance than native starch
• improved freeze–thaw stability with less water separation
• smoother, more stable textures and clearer finishes Nutritionally, the tiny amounts used for thickening contribute very few calories per serving.

Who should avoid Acetylated starch?

• People with wheat allergy or coeliac disease: Modified starch can be made from various sources (corn, potato, tapioca, wheat). In the U.S., if it is derived from wheat, “wheat” must be declared in the allergen statement—check the label.⁴
• Anyone on a strict low-carbohydrate plan may prefer to limit starch thickeners, though the amounts used are small.

Myths & facts

• “It’s a plastic.” False. It’s a food starch with a small number of acetyl groups attached to improve texture handling.
• “It’s just a filler.” Not exactly. It provides structure and stability so products stay smooth and consistent.
• “All modified starches are the same.” No. Different modifications (like acetylated distarch phosphate vs. hydroxypropyl starch) deliver different performance.
• “It always contains gluten.” Not necessarily. Source depends on the manufacturer; in the U.S., wheat-derived starch must be declared as an allergen on the label.⁴

Acetylated starch in branded foods

You can spot it on ingredient lists:

• EU: Listed by functional class plus name or E-number (for example, “thickener: acetylated starch (E1420)”).⁵
• U.S.: Often listed as “modified food starch.” If the source is wheat, “wheat” must appear in the allergen statement.⁴

It’s common in big-name soups, sauces, ready meals, desserts, and bakery fillings where consistent texture is important.

References

Footnotes

1. Food starch-modified — U.S. FDA (21 CFR 172.892). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-172/subpart-I/section-172.892 ↩ ↩²

2. Food additives specifications (E-numbers) — EU Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/231/oj ↩

3. Re-evaluation of modified starches (E 1404–1451) as food additives — EFSA Journal. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4787 ↩

4. Food Allergies: What You Need to Know — U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-allergies/food-allergies-what-you-need-know ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. Food information to consumers (ingredient listing of additives) — EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj ↩