What is Maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin is a highly processed carbohydrate extracted from corn, potato starch, rice, wheat, or tapioca. The starch in these plants is broken down with hydrolysis, a process in which enzymes are broken down using water. Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used primarily in foods and beverages as a thickener, sweetener, and/or stabilizer. It is a relatively short-chain polymer (some would call it an oligomer); commercial products contain an average of ≈3 to ≈17 glucose units per chain. It is manufactured by partially hydrolyzing grain starches, usually corn or wheat.

Because maltodextrin is safe, inexpensive, and extremely water-soluble, it is used widely as a food additive in a variety of products, ranging from infant formula to ice cream to salad dressing to peanut butter to beer. It is a supplemental ingredient in sweeteners such as sucralose and stevia.

Maltodextrin Uses

Food additive maltodextrin helps preserve food's taste, appearance, and texture. Maltodextrin is also used to thicken or bulk food. Processed foods may use “high-intensity” sweeteners (artificial sugars) that replace sucrose or table sugar. These artificial sugars provide sweetness with fewer calories. Maltodextrin is a bulking agent used to replace the properties of the missing sugar.

Maltodextrin helps preserve food and extend shelf life by maintaining moisture levels. It doesn’t absorb much moisture and acts as an anticaking agent in foods like baked goods to retain moisture and prevent them from hardening over time.

Maltodextrin acts as a thickener in processed foods. It can easily dissolve, spread, bind, and carry other flavors. It’s added to foods like salad dressings and sauces to create a thick consistency.

Food sweetener maltodextrin is not as good a sweetening agent as sucrose (common sugar), but it has as much calorie content as the equivalent amount of sugar. Obese individuals and diabetics should be aware that a food contains maltodextrin before consuming it; it is a listed ingredient on food labels.