Polydextroses

INS 1200

Used as a thickener — Codex also lists it as bulking agent, glazing, agent, humectant, stabilizer.

Polydextrose is a bulking agent and soluble fibre used to replace sugar and fat in reduced-calorie foods. It contributes bulk and mouthfeel without much sweetness or energy.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Polydextroses by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
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 / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

11 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 01.1.2 Other Fluid Milk (plain) — GMP
  • 01.2.1.1 Fermented milks (plain), not heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 01.2.1.2 Fermented milks (plain), heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 01.2.2 Renneted milk (plain) — GMP
  • 01.4.2 Sterilized and UHT creams, whipping and whipped creams, and reduced fat creams (plain) — GMP
  • 09.2.1 Frozen fish, fish fillets, and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.4.1 Cooked fish and fish products — GMP
  • 09.2.4.3 Fried fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 10.2.1 Liquid egg products — GMP
  • 10.2.2 Frozen egg products — GMP
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 1200and 11 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by heating glucose with small amounts of sorbitol and an acid catalyst, which links the sugar units into a randomly branched polymer that human enzymes largely cannot break down.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Every name it appears under

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

INS number

  • 1200

Other names

  • POLYDEXTROSES

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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

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

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/polydextroses.json