Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide and a common ingredient in a variety of foods. Because of its ability to form a thick and airy texture, it is used in baked goods, ice cream, low-fat yogurts, and various sauces – as well as in baby food.
Despite the fact that structurally maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate, during digestion, it quickly breaks down into glucose molecules – dramatically increasing insulin production. This can be beneficial for athletes – but extremely harmful for diabetics and dieters.
What is maltodextrin?
Maltodextrin (also called molasses or dextrin maltose) is a powdery substance, the hydrolysis product of potato, corn, rice, or wheat starch. In the food industry, it is used as a sweetener, thickener, leavening agent, moisture absorber, and emulsifier.
Formally, maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate (representing a combination of a large number of glucose molecules) – but during digestion, it almost instantly turns into a simple carbohydrate (a single glucose molecule) and increases insulin production.
The glycemic index of maltodextrin is on the order of 105-135, depending on the degree of grinding of the powder – which quickly raises blood sugar levels and can harm the body of a diabetic. In addition, maltodextrin can be made from wheat starch – and contain gluten.
Pros and cons
The advantages of maltodextrin are the ability to form a thick texture and a moderately sweet taste. It is commonly used as a replacement for starch, while simultaneously extending the shelf life of foods and making them more airy in texture – which plays a role in baked goods.
In dietary nutrition, despite the high caloric content, maltodextrin is used as a substitute for fat and as a substance that facilitates the mixing of ingredients (emulsifier). The reason is the desire of the manufacturer to restore the density and viscous texture lost with the removal of fat, which is important for yogurts and ice cream.
Among other things, maltodextrin is often used in the manufacture of medicines. In this case, it acts as a filler, into which active substances are introduced – often more than half of the weight of the tablet is occupied precisely by filler substances that increase its weight.
What are the harms?
The key danger of products with maltodextrin is their high glycemic index. Such products may be labeled “no added sugar” even though they contain a substance with a higher GI than sugar and a comparable calorie content.
From the manufacturer’s point of view, calorie reduction is achieved by replacing fat (9 kcal per 1 g) with maltodextrin (4 kcal per 1 g) – however, one cannot talk about the benefits of such products for losing weight. For diabetics, in turn, such products are directly harmful, dramatically increasing blood glucose levels.
Products that can include maltodextrin:
- Instant soups and broths
- Baking mixes
- Semi-finished meat products
- Multifruit juices
- Yogurt, ice cream
Effect on the body
Maltodextrin is able to influence the intestinal microflora, inhibiting the growth of beneficial bacteria – which can affect the immune system and worsen digestion. In addition, the substance promotes the survival of salmonella, which can lead to a wide range of chronic inflammatory diseases.
However, let’s make a reservation that studies showing the direct harm of maltodextrin involve the use of large doses of the substance. At dosages used in food, it is considered safe. An exception may be wheat maltodextrin since it contains gluten.
What to replace maltodextrin with?
When cooking at home, you can replace maltodextrin with other sources of carbohydrates – from natural honey and agave syrup to sugar syrup. All of them are fast carbohydrates and have the same calorie content. If you want to cut calories, you can use stevia.
As for the use of maltodextrin in the food industry, it is not so easy to find an analog. Given the ability of the substance to mix with other ingredients, form a bond with fats, and retain moisture in the product – without a cloyingly sweet taste – there are not so many analogs. Plus, most of them cost more.
Maltodextrin for athletes
The sports nutrition industry offers maltodextrin as a weight-gain product. Taken after a sports workout, it is a good source of glucose and helps to quickly restore the glycogen stores used up during exercise.
In the case of use in gainers, the advantages of maltodextrin are low cost, high-calorie content, mild and pleasant taste, as well as ease of mixing with water. Note that when using a comparable amount of regular sugar in terms of calories and carbohydrate content, the taste will be excessively sweet.
Also, maltodextrin is used in combination with creatine – acting as a “transport system”. A blend of creatine monohydrate and fast carbohydrates improves supplement absorption by 60% compared to pure creatine.
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that converts to glucose when digested. It is widely used both in the food industry and in the pharmaceutical and sports industries. It acts as a means to improve the texture and taste of the product and as a source of calories.