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Thickener or gelling agent

E1440 (hydroxypropyl starch): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E1440 is hydroxypropyl starch, a thickener. E1440 can come from maize, potato, tapioca or wheat. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you; wheat profiles get Heads up.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E1440=maize, potato, tapioca or wheat

What is E1440?

E1440 (hydroxypropyl starch) is a thickener, an additive that thickens a food or gives it the texture of a gel. A modified starch. “Modified” means treated in the factory, not genetically modified.

What is E1440 made from?

E1440 can come from maize, potato, tapioca or wheat.

Is E1440 vegan?

Fits you. E1440 can come from maize, potato, tapioca or wheat. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE1440 can come from maize, potato, tapioca or wheat. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE1440 can come from maize, potato, tapioca or wheat. Nothing from an animal.
Gluten (wheat)Heads upIt can come from wheat. In the EU, UK, US and Gulf a label must name wheat when that is the source, so read the Contains line.

What other names does E1440 have on a label?

On a label, E1440 can also appear as “INS 1440”, “Thickener (1440)”, “Thickener (E1440)”, “Hydroxypropyl starch” or “Modified starch”.

Any of these on a pack means E1440. The checker reads them all.

E1440E 1440E-1440INS 1440Thickener (1440)Thickener (E1440)Hydroxypropyl starchModified starch

What would change the answer for E1440?

For E1440, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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