Maltodextrin is what you get when you hydrolyze starch, either by acid or
by enzymes. Starch is a polymer consisting of long chains of glucose molecules
and one single fructose molecule.
The degree of hydrolization is expressed as the DE-value of the product. DE
means Dextrose Equivalent and is inversely related to molecule size, i.e. the
degree of polymerization (DP) and is an indication of how big a percentage of
the starch molecule is converted to glucose molecules. This means in practise
that starch can be converted to molecules with DE-values from 1 to 100 (pure
starch has a DE of 0).
Definition
Products with DE-values from 6-19 are called
‘maltodextrins’, those with DE-values 20-91 are called ‘syrups’ – from corn we
get ‘corn syrup’ – and DE-values from 92 to 99 are called total sugar
(glucose/dextrose and total sugar). A value of DE-100 equals glucose (dextrose), but to get it
in pure form, it is necessary to remove the fructose by ion exchange.
Products with DE-values 6-38 are either dried in conventional dryers for fine
particle products, or in a Fluidized Spray Dryer FSD™ for coarse and agglomerated
products.
Products with values of DE-10 to DE-100 can be dried on a FILTERMAT™
dryer resulting in a coarse, agglomerated powder.
Use of Maltodextrin
The native starch molecule can
differ in structure depending on the origin (corn/wheat, potatoes, tapioca,
yarns, etc.) This together with the conversion method means that maltodextrines
with same DE-value will differ in composition and functionality. This means
that many of the suppliers have their own special ‘fingerprint’ in the
products.
If e.g. a maltodextrin – with a DE of 15 – is made by dry-mixing pure starch
with glucose, it will act differently in the final formulation and its
subsequent drying, compared to a product, where the hydrolization process is
stopped when the Dextrose Equivalent has reached 15.
The maltodextrines are used very much in the food and paper industries. In
the food industry the different DE-values are chosen depending on taste,
solubility, influence on viscosity and function as ‘carriers’ for different
flavours and food-blends. A guideline is that lower DE-values are better
‘carriers’, but they are less soluble and have a ‘waxy’ taste, whereas higher
DE-values are weak carriers, better soluble and sweet in taste. The most used
maltodextrines have DE-values in the range of DE-10 to DE-20.