Editing Maltodextrin (section)

===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>