E1402 - Alkaline modified starch
What it is and how it is used
Alkaline modified starch is starch treated with an alkali — typically sodium hydroxide — which swells the granule and partly breaks the starch chains, so it thickens at a lower temperature and gives a smoother, more stable paste than untreated starch.
The technique is real and the product is used in food manufacturing internationally under the Codex number INS 1402. It is not, however, one of the modified starches on the Great Britain authorised list.
Foods commonly containing it
Not applicable for products sold in Great Britain. Where it is permitted, alkaline modified starch is used as a thickener in sauces, soups and processed foods.
Safety summary
E 1402 does not appear in the FSA Register of Food Additive Authorisations. Great Britain authorises a defined list of modified starches — E 1404 oxidised starch, E 1410, E 1412, E 1413, E 1414, E 1420, E 1422, E 1440, E 1442, E 1450, E 1451 and E 1452 — and alkaline modified starch is not among them.
The number reaches product databases from the Codex Alimentarius INS system, which includes starch modifications that the GB and EU lists do not. We have not given an ADI here because no GB or EFSA figure applies to a substance that is not on the list.
If you have seen E 1402 on a UK label, it is worth checking whether the product is an import, or whether the ingredient is in fact one of the authorised modified starches above.