Carbohydrate profile: Oligosaccharides (maltodextrin).
1. Introduction to maltodextrin.
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide food ingredient that is a low-conversion product between starch and starch sugar. It is an amorphous powder with white or slightly yellow appearance, no impurities visible to the naked eye, special odor, and no sweet or slightly sweet taste.
In 1970, Ueberbacher defined maltodextrin as follows: a product with starch as raw material and a controlled hydrolytic DE value of less than 20% is called maltodextrin. The definition in the United States is: carbohydrate products obtained from corn starch raw materials through hydrolysis and spray drying. The definition in China is: starch derivatives without free starch made from starch or starch as raw materials, through enzymatic low-degree hydrolysis, refining, and spray drying. Its series of products are based on different DE values, and the common product specifications are: MD10, MD15, MD20, etc. The DE value of maltodextrin refers to the percentage of dry matter of its reducing sugars (e.g., maltose, glucose, etc.). The DE value is between 5-20, which indicates that most of the substances in maltodextrin exist in the form of macromolecular high maltose, which is also the reason why maltodextrin has almost no sweetness, because only small molecule sugars such as maltose, glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose and so on have a significant sweetness.
The physical properties of maltodextrin are directly related to the DE value of its hydrolysis, so the DE value not only indicates the degree of hydrolysis, but also is an important indicator to grasp the characteristics of the product. Generally speaking, the higher the degree of hydrolysis of maltodextrin, the greater the DE value, and the greater the dissolved oxygen, sweetness, permeability, fermentability, browning reaction, and freezing point drop of the productThe less structure, viscosity, pigment stability and resistance to crystallization.
2. The difference between maltodextrin and maltose.
Maltodextrin and maltose are different in terms of raw materials, manufacturing processes, taste and uses.
1.Raw materials: The main raw materials of maltodextrin are starchy corn, rice, etc., and can also be refined starch, such as corn starch, wheat starch, tapioca starch, etc. Maltose, on the other hand, is made from starch.
2.Production process: Maltodextrin is made of various starches as raw materials, which are hydrolyzed, purified and dried by enzymatic process to a low degree. Its raw materials are starchy corn, rice, etc. Maltose, on the other hand, is prepared by amylase-containing malt acting on starch.
3.Taste: Maltose is a white crystal that is easily soluble in water and has a sweet taste (not as good as sucrose). Maltodextrin has the characteristics of low sweetness, no peculiar smell, easy to digest, low heat, good solubility, small fermentability, good filling effect, not easy to absorb moisture, strong thickening, good carrier, good stability, and difficult to deteriorate.
4.Uses: Maltose can be used for qi deficiency and fatigue, deficiency and cold, abdominal pain, lung deficiency, chronic cough and asthma. It is also used to replace part of the sucrose in the conversion of food formulations. Or cold drinks are made to make the product soft and tasty. Maltodextrin is widely used in beverages, frozen foods, candy, cereals, dairy products, health care products and other industries, and can also be used in textile, daily chemical, pharmaceutical production.
3. Both maltodextrin and maltose can be used as food additives.
1.Maltodextrin is a precision-treated organic food additive that is extremely safe from source to finished product and does not contain toxic and harmful ingredients. It can improve the taste and texture of food while also increasing the shelf life and stability of food.
2.Maltose is a traditional sweetener made from starch that is enzymatically converted. Maltose is a natural sweetener and its safety profile is also high. However, since maltose is less sweet, more maltose needs to be added to the food to achieve the desired sweetness, which may increase the calorie and carbohydrate content of the food.