Octenyl Succinate Starch

Octenyl succinate starch sodium (OSS), INS1450, is a modified starch, used as an excipient to provide benefit formulations of food, nutraceutical & pharmaceutical products. OSS is derived as a white or nearly white powder or granules, or, if pre-gelatinized, as flakes, amorphous powder, or coarse particles.

OSS is derived from native starch (such as corn, potato, or tapioca) through esterification with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) in presence of alkali as shown below

Octenyl Succinate Starch

OSS is an emulsifier, stabilizer, solubilizer & thickening agent. The modification enhances product stability, texture & quality functional properties as can be seen in the following table :

Properties and Applications

• Emulsification : OSS improves the stability of oil-in-water emulsions. It forms a protective layer around oil droplets, preventing coalescence and maintaining uniform dispersion. Common applications include salad dressings, sauces, and dairy products.
• Stabilization : OSS acts as a stabilizer by preventing phase separation and maintaining product consistency. It is used in beverages, bakery fillings, and creamy desserts.
• Thickening : OSS increases viscosity and imparts a desirable texture to food products. It is often found in low-fat or reduced-calorie formulations, providing mouthfeel without excessive fat content.
• Film-Forming Properties : OSS can form edible films and coatings. These films enhance shelf life, protect against moisture loss, and improve product appearance. Applications include fruit coatings and edible packaging.

Regulatory Considerations

OSS is recognized as safe (GRAS) by regulatory agencies such as the USFDA. Modified starch, INS 1450, is well tolerated in humans up to a single dose of 25,000 mg/person. However, manufacturers must adhere to specific usage levels and labelling requirements.

Uses of Starch Sodium Octenyl Succinate (INS 1450)

1. Coffee, Coffee Substitutes, Tea, Herbal Infusions, & Other Hot Cereal & Grain Beverages (excluding Cocoa)

   This includes ready-to-drink products (e.g., canned), as well as their mixes and concentrates. Examples consist of chicory-based hot beverages (like a powdered roasted grain beverage popular as a coffee substitute), rice tea, mate tea, and blends for hot coffee and tea beverages (e.g., instant coffee, powder for hot cappuccino drinks). Treated coffee beans for coffee product manufacturing are also encompassed. Ready-to-drink cocoa and cocoa mixes are incorporated.

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
   Notes : OSS is intended for use in ready-to-drink products & pre-mixes specifically designed for ready-to-drink products.

2. Complementary Foods for Infants and Young Children

   These foods are designed for infants aged 6 months and older, as well as for gradually transitioning infants and children to regular foods. Products may be in a ready-to-eat form or as powder to be reconstituted with water, milk, or another appropriate liquid. These foods do not encompass infant formulae, follow-up formulae, or formulae intended for special medical purposes.

   Examples include cereal-based, fruit-based, vegetable-based, and meat-based "baby foods" for infants, "toddler foods," and "junior foods," as well as lacteal flour, biscuits, and rusks for children.

   Maximum Level : 50,000 mg/kg
   Note on usage :

   • Excluded are products adhering to the Standard for Canned Baby Foods (CODEX STAN 73-1981).
   • Can be used alone or in combination with other modified starches as thickeners in products that adhere to the Standard for Processed Cereal-Based Foods for Infants and Young Children (CODEX STAN 74-1981).

3. Fermented Milks (Plain), Heat-Treated After Fermentation

   This category includes both fluid and non-fluid plain products, such as yoghurt and plain drinks based on fermented milk. These products have undergone heat treatment (e.g., sterilization or pasteurization) after the fermentation process.

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
   Note : Permissible for use exclusively as a stabilizer or thickener.

4. Fermented Milks (Plain), Not Heat-Treated After Fermentation

   This category comprises fluid and non-fluid plain products, including yoghurt and plain drinks based on fermented milk that have not undergone heat treatment after fermentation.

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
   Note : For use as a stabilizer or thickener only, and exclusively in reconstituted and recombined products.

5. Formulae for Special Medical Purposes for Infants

   These foods are intended for special dietary use and are specially processed or formulated for the dietary management of infants. They should only be used under medical supervision. These formulae are designed for the exclusive or partial feeding of infants who have limited or impaired capacity to consume, digest, absorb, or metabolize regular infant formulae or specific nutrients contained therein, or those with other medically determined special nutrient requirements. The dietary management cannot be achieved solely by modifying the normal diet, using other foods designed for special dietary purposes, or a combination of both.

   Maximum Level : 20,000 mg/kg
   Note :

   • For use in hydrolyzed protein and/or amino acid-based infant formulae only.
   • Measure is based on the final consumption of the product.

6. Frozen Egg Products

   This pertains to purified whole eggs, egg yolks, or egg whites that are pasteurized and subsequently frozen.

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

7. Liquid Egg Products

   This encompasses purified whole eggs, egg yolks, or egg whites that are pasteurized and chemically preserved, such as through the addition of salt.

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

8. Pasteurized Cream (Plain)

   This category comprises cream that has undergone pasteurization through appropriate heat treatment or is produced from pasteurized milk. It includes milk cream and "half-and-half."

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
   Note : Excludes the products conforming to the Standard for Cream and Prepared Creams, including reconstituted cream, recombined cream, and pre-packaged liquid cream (CODEX STAN 288-1976).

9. Renneted Milk (Plain)

   This category includes plain coagulated milk produced through the action of milk coagulating enzymes. It covers curdled milk, and flavored renneted milk products are found in dairy-based desserts (e.g., pudding, fruit, or flavored yoghurt).

   Maximum Level : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

10. Sterilized and UHT Creams, Whipping and Whipped Creams, and Reduced-Fat Creams (Plain)

    This category incorporates all types of cream, irrespective of their fat content, which have undergone more extensive heat treatment than pasteurization. It includes pasteurized creams with reduced fat content and creams intended for whipping. Sterilized cream undergoes proper heat treatment within the container presented to consumers. Ultra-heat treated (UHT) or ultra pasteurized cream undergoes the appropriate heat treatment (UHT or ultra pasteurization) in a continuous flow process and is aseptically packaged. Cream may also be packaged under pressure (whipped cream). This category encompasses whipping cream, heavy cream, whipped pasteurized cream, and whipped cream-type dairy toppings and fillings. Creams or toppings with partial or complete replacement of milk fat by other fats are also included.

    Maximum Level of usage : Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

Provisions for using OSS Sodium (INS 1450) in GSFA

The Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) defines the conditions for the utilization of Starch sodium octenyl succinate in food products. These provisions apply within the framework of good manufacturing practices (GMP), as described in the introduction of the Codex GSFA.

Note that although not explicitly mentioned, OSS can also be used in heat-treated buttermilk (under Fluid milk (plain)) and in spices (under Herbs and spices).

OSS sodium (INS1450) can be used in a wide range of food categories, including but not limited to :

• Flavored fluid milk drinks
• Condensed milk and analogues (plain)
• Clotted cream (plain)
• Cream analogues.
• Milk powder and cream powder and powder analogues (plain)
• Unripened cheese
• Ripened cheese
• Processed cheese
• Cheese analogues
• Dairy-based desserts (e.g., pudding, fruit, or flavored yogurt)
• Liquid whey and whey products (excluding whey cheeses)
• Fat spreads, dairy fat spreads, and blended spreads
• Fat emulsions of oil-in-water type, including mixed and flavored products based on such emulsions.
• Fat-based desserts
• Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet.
• Processed fruits
• Dried vegetables, seaweeds, nuts, and seeds
• Vegetables and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce
• Canned or bottled (pasteurized) or retort pouch vegetables, seaweeds.
• Vegetable, seaweed, nut, and seed purees and spreads (e.g., peanut butter)
• Vegetable, seaweed, nut, and seed pulps and preparations (e.g., vegetable desserts and sauces)
• Cooked or fried vegetables, seaweeds
• Confectioneries
• Breakfast cereals, including rolled oats.
• Pre-cooked pastas and noodles and like products
• Cereal and starch-based desserts (e.g., rice pudding, tapioca pudding)
• Batters (e.g., for breading or batters for fish or poultry)
• Pre-cooked or processed rice products, including rice cakes (Oriental type only)
• Soybean products (excluding soybean-based seasonings and condiments of food category 12.9)
• Bakery wares
• Processed meat, poultry, and game products (whole pieces or cuts)
• Processed comminuted meat, poultry, and game products.
• Edible casings (e.g., sausage casings)
• Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms.
• Fully preserved fish and fish products, including canned or fermented items.
• Dried and/or heat-coagulated egg products
• Preserved eggs (alkaline, salted, and canned eggs)
• Egg-based desserts (e.g., custard)
• Table-top sweeteners, including those with high-intensity sweeteners.
• Seasonings and condiments
• Vinegars
• Mustards
• Soups and broths
• Sauces and equivalent products
• Salads (e.g., macaroni salad, potato salad) and sandwich spreads (excluding cocoa- and nut-based spreads)
• Yeast and related products
• Soybean-based seasonings and condiments
• Protein products other than from soybeans
• Dietetic foods intended for special medical purposes.
• Dietetic formulae for slimming purposes and weight reduction
• Dietetic foods (e.g., supplementary foods for dietary use)
• Food supplements
• Water-based flavored drinks (including "sport," "energy," or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks)
• Beer and malt beverages
• Cider and perry
• Wines (other than grape)
• Mead
• Distilled spirituous beverages containing more than 15% alcohol.
• Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, wine, and spirituous cooler-type beverages)
• Ready-to-eat savouries.
• Prepared foods