Editing Maltodextrin (section)

==Definition==
Digestible maltodextrins are well-defined chemically, understood, and documented.<ref name="hofman" /> By contrast, digestion-resistant maltodextrins {{ndash}} being the newer and more complex chemical family {{ndash}} are less defined chemically, researched and documented.<ref name=Li/>

Maltodextrins are classified by a [[dextrose equivalent]] (DE),<ref name="gras" /><ref name="hofman" /> a number between 3 and 20 that corresponds to the number of free chain ends in a certain sample. A lower DE value means the polymer chains are longer (contain more glucose units) whereas a higher DE value means the chains are shorter.<ref name=hofman/> This is an inverse concept compared with the [[degree of polymerization]] of the chain. A high-DE maltodextrin is sweeter, more soluble, and has lower heat resistance. Above DE 20, the [[European Union]]'s [[Combined Nomenclature|CN code]] calls it [[glucose syrup]]; at DE 10 or lower, the customs CN code nomenclature classifies maltodextrins as dextrins.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

===Digestible maltodextrin===
Maltodextrins consist of <small>D</small>-[[glucose]] units connected in chains of variable length. The glucose units are primarily linked with α(1→4) [[glycosidic bond]]s, like those seen in the linear derivative of [[glycogen]] (after the removal of α1,6- branching).<ref name="pubchem">{{cite web |date=2024 |title=Maltodextrin |url=https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Maltodextrin |access-date=28 January 2024 |publisher=PubChem, US National Library of Medicine}}</ref><ref name="moore">{{cite journal | last1=Moore | first1=Geovana Rocha Plácido | last2=Canto | first2=Luciana Rodrigues do | last3=Amante | first3=Edna Regina | last4=Soldi | first4=Valdir | title=Cassava and corn starch in maltodextrin production | journal=Química Nova (SciELO, Brazil) | volume=28 | issue=4 | year=2005 | issn=0100-4042 | doi=10.1590/s0100-40422005000400008 | pages=596–600}}</ref><ref name=gras/> Commercial maltodextrin is typically composed of a mixture of chains that vary from three to 17 glucose units long. Properties of maltodextrin, such as sweetness, [[viscosity]], and texture, can be manipulated during manufacturing by altering the extent of starch hydrolysis.<ref name=moore/>

Maltodextrins are digested into glucose units, contributing a [[food energy]] value of 4 [[calorie]]s per gram (or 16 [[Joule|kiloJoule]]s per gram).<ref name=hofman/> Maltodextrin manufacturing produces a high-purity product with microbiological safety, making it applicable to varied food, beverage, sports, and baked products.<ref name=hofman/>

===Digestion-resistant maltodextrin===
{{see also|Resistant starch}}

Digestion-resistant maltodextrins are a chemical family much larger than the family of digestible maltodextrins. A definition of a digestion-resistant maltodextrin is: "Resistant maltodextrin/dextrin is a glucose oligosaccharide. Resistant maltodextrin and dextrin products are composed of non-digestible oligosaccharides of glucose molecules that are joined by digestible linkages and non-digestible α-1,2 and α-1,3 linkages."<ref name="fda18">{{Cite web |title=Review of the Scientific Evidence on the Physiological Effects of Certain Non-Digestible Carbohydrates |url=https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/Review-of-the-Scientific-Evidence-on-the-Physiological-Effects-of-Certain-Non-Digestible-Carbohydrates-PDF.pdf|publisher=US Food and Drug Administration|date=June 2018 |access-date=February 9, 2024}}{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The chemical is of greater structural complexity than a digestible maltodextrin. The two families of maltodextrins have little in common chemically or nutritionally.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Names used to identify digestion-resistant maltodextrin as an ingredient in foods for regulatory purposes include ''soluble fiber'', ''resistant dextrin'', or ''dextrin''.<ref name=whelan/><ref name=Li/> Names may include the food starch used to fabricate the ingredient.<ref name=moore/>

The chemical family has had a history of changes in classification. As of 2023, a digestion-resistant maltodextrin is considered a resistant dextrin<ref name="Li" /> and a resistant starch of type 5.<ref name="boj">{{cite journal |last1=Bojarczuk |first1=Adrianna |last2=Skąpska |first2=Sylwia |last3=Mousavi Khaneghah |first3=Amin |last4=Marszałek |first4=Krystian |year=2022 |title=Health benefits of resistant starch: A review of the literature |journal=Journal of Functional Foods |volume=93 |page=105094 |doi=10.1016/j.jff.2022.105094 |issn=1756-4646 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=birt/>{{efn|The difference in classification is of little chemical significance. It refers to the material source for manufacturing. Dextrin is a product of starch.  Maltodextrin is a product of starch or dextrin, but is neither a starch nor a dextrin.}}  Another study contrasted resistant dextrins and resistant maltodextrins, finding them to differ chemically and functionally.<ref name="chen">{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Xinyang |last2=Hou |first2=Yinchen |last3=Wang |first3=Zhen |last4=Liao |first4=Aimei |last5=Pan |first5=Long |last6=Zhang |first6=Mingyi |last7=Xue |first7=Yingchun |last8=Wang |first8=Jingjing |last9=Liu |first9=Yingying |last10=Huang |first10=Jihong |date=2023-11-27 |title=A Comparative Study of Resistant Dextrins and Resistant Maltodextrins from Different Tuber Crop Starches |journal=Polymers |volume=15 |issue=23 |page=4545 |doi=10.3390/polym15234545 |issn=2073-4360 |pmc=10708145 |pmid=38231993 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In that study, the final maltodextrin product required further processing of the resistant dextrin. The chemical family is effectively defined by the food starch and the manufacturing process, both of which may vary according to manufacturing preferences.<ref name="Li" /><ref name=chen/>

The digestion-resistant maltodextrin ingredient has several properties exploited in food or beverage manufacturing: it is a low-moisture (5% water), free-flowing, fine white powder that disperses readily in water; it is clear in solution with low [[viscosity]]; it is odorless, slightly acidic, and has a bland flavor; it is 90% [[dietary fiber]].<ref name=buck/> The average [[molecular mass]] of the digestion-resistant maltodextrin molecule is 2,000 [[Dalton (unit)|daltons]].<ref name=buck/>

Digestion-resistant maltodextrin is a soluble (fermentable) dietary fiber with numerous non-starch glycosidic bonds, allowing it to pass through the [[digestive tract]] unchanged in physical properties without undergoing digestion, supplying no food energy.<ref name="Li" /> In the colon, it is a [[Prebiotic (nutrition)|prebiotic fiber]] fermented by [[gut microbiota]], resulting in the formation of short-chain fatty acids contributing to gastrointestinal health.<ref name=Li/><ref name=lpi/><ref name="fda">{{cite web |date=17 December 2021 |title=Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/questions-and-answers-dietary-fiber |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926091818/https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/questions-and-answers-dietary-fiber |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |access-date=30 January 2024 |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration}}</ref>