E1413 – Phosphated distarch phosphate
ThickenerDescription
Modified starch produced by treating starch with sodium trimetaphosphate or phosphorus oxychloride
Notes
**Phosphated distarch phosphate** is created through a two-step chemical modification of regular starch. First, starch molecules are cross-linked with phosphate compounds (similar to E1412), and then additional phosphate groups are attached to the starch chains. This double modification – both cross-linking and phosphate addition – creates an extremely stable modified starch that can handle the most challenging food processing conditions. The raw material is typically corn, wheat, or potato starch. **This heavily modified starch serves as a premium thickener, stabilizer, and texture enhancer** for foods that undergo severe processing conditions. You'll find it in products that need to withstand high temperatures, strong acids, intense mixing, or long storage times – think canned acidic foods, retort pouch meals, industrial baked goods, and processed foods with long shelf lives. It's the "heavy-duty" version of modified starches, used when regular starch or even other modified starches would fail. **This is a synthetic food additive created through extensive chemical modification** of natural starch. While it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans, those preferring minimally processed foods might want to avoid it due to the multiple chemical treatments involved. The phosphate groups are similar to those found naturally in foods, but the level of processing makes this quite different from natural starch. It's approved as safe by food regulators, but represents one of the more heavily modified starch products available. People with celiac disease should verify the original starch source wasn't wheat-based.