Octenyl succinic anhydride

CAS 7757-96-2

Listed as a dough strengthener and a starch-modifying agent by the US and Canada.

Listed as dough strengtheners (US) · starch-modifying agents (CA)
Chemical structure of Octenyl succinic anhydride, from PubChem compound 5362721
Structure from PubChem CID 5362721 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

A reagent for modifying starch: attaching octenyl succinate groups gives the starch an oil-loving tail, which turns it into an emulsifier used in drinks and flavour encapsulation. What ends up in the food is the modified starch.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Octenyl succinic anhydride by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaPermitted

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

In: Starch used in the manufacture of modified starch. Purpose: Starch-modifying agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice.

Health Canada, List of Permitted Starch-Modifying Agents (List 13), item O.1retrieved 2026-10-17
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationNot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

Canada—1 GMP

No regulator sets a figure for Octenyl succinic anhydride. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.

What it is made from

Made from octene and maleic anhydride.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
7757-96-2
InChIKey
FLISWPFVWWWNNP-BQYQJAHWSA-N
PubChem
CID 5362721

Every name it appears under

40 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

CAS registry number

  • 26680-54-6
  • 7757-96-2

Other names

  • (1-octenyl)-Succinic anhydride
  • (1E)-1-octenylsuccinic anhydride
  • 1-OCTENYL SUCCINIC ANHYDRIDE
  • 1-Octenylsuccinic anhydride
  • 1-OCTENYLSUCCINIC ANHYDRIDE, (1E)-
  • 1-OCTENYLSUCCINIC ANHYDRIDE, (E)-
  • 1-Octenylsuccinic anhydride, 8CI
  • 1Octenylsuccinic anhydride
  • 2, dihydro-3-(1-octenyl)-
  • 2,5-FURANDIONE, DIHYDRO-3-(1-OCTEN-1-YL)-
  • 2,5-Furandione, dihydro-3-(1-octenyl)-
  • 2,5-Furandione, dihydro-3-(1-octenyl)-(9CI)
  • 2,5-Furandione, dihydro-3-(octen-1-yl)-
  • 2,5-Furandione, dihydro-3-(octenyl)-
  • 2,5Furandione, dihydro3(1octenyl)
  • 3-[(1E)-1-Octenyl]dihydro-2,5-furandione #
  • 3-[(1E)-OCT-1-EN-1-YL]OXOLANE-2,5-DIONE
  • 3-[(E)-oct-1-enyl]oxolane-2,5-dione
  • 4YWS14FAXH
  • 5S74LKR65F
  • Dihydro-3-(1-octenyl)-2,5-furandione
  • Dihydro-3-(1-octenyl)furan-2,5-dione
  • Dihydro-3-(octenyl)furan-2,5-dione
  • Dihydro3(1octenyl)2,5furandione
  • EKA SA 210
  • HSDB 1085
  • Milldride OSA
  • n-octenylA-succinic acid anhydride
  • n-Octenylsuccinic anhydride
  • Octenyl succinic anhydride
  • Octenyl Succinic Anhydride (OSA)
  • OCTENYL-1,2-ETHANEDICARBOXYLIC ANHYDRIDE
  • Octenylsuccinic anhydride
  • RIKACID OSA
  • Succinic anhydride, (1-octenyl)-
  • Succinic anhydride, (1-octenyl)-(8CI)
  • Succinic anhydride, (1octenyl)
  • Succinic anhydride, octenyl-

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is Octenyl succinic anhydride?
A reagent for modifying starch: attaching octenyl succinate groups gives the starch an oil-loving tail, which turns it into an emulsifier used in drinks and flavour encapsulation. What ends up in the food is the modified starch.
What is Octenyl succinic anhydride used for in food?
It is listed as a dough strengthener and a starch-modifying agent — the role the US and Canada assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Where is Octenyl succinic anhydride permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Octenyl succinic anhydride vegan?
Yes. Octenyl succinic anhydride is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • ca retrieved 2026-10-17

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

Follow changes to Octenyl succinic anhydride:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.