Maltodextrin powder is an additive that is used for thickening foods that may otherwise be thin or slightly runny. It is a white powder that has been labeled as relatively safe by the FDA in food uses.
You can add flavoring to it for various uses, but it is normally flavorless, which makes it great for adding to foods that need to be thickened. By having no flavor, it can easily be combined with these foods and will not alter the taste of them.
It can be compared to corn syrup when it comes to using it as a thickening solution, as both have little to no flavor and both are great at thickening foods.
The 3 Top Uses for Maltodextrin
There are three main uses for Maltodextrin that are FDA approved as generally safe: creating bulk, crystalizing sugars, and food drying. We will discuss these three uses and will then move on to whether or not everyone can eat foods with Maltodextrin in them.
Creating Bulk
Maltodextrin is mainly used in foods that need added bulk or foods that are too thin and runny. Because of its powder form, it can absorb into liquids better and help give them more body. It is mainly added to salad dressing and instant puddings, though you can put it into almost anything that needs to have bulk added to it.
If you check the label on some of these items in the grocery store, you will find that most of them contain Maltodextrin. It is used in canned fruits, especially those that are packed in their own juices, as well as puddings, and protein shakes.
Adding it to protein shakes in powder form helps to ensure that when you add liquid to the shakes, you are able to get the right consistency.
Crystallizing Sugars
In its powdered form, Maltodextrin has a crystallized shape similar to sugar. This is why it fits in well with artificial sweeteners.
It helps the sweeteners to maintain their crystallized shapes once they are packaged and on store shelves. Because Maltodextrin is flavorless to start with, adding it into artificial sweetener can make it taste sweet and you will not realize that it is in there.
Maltodextrin helps works as a binding agent in artificial sweeteners, and it will bind itself to the artificial sweetener giving you the texture that you are used to seeing.
Drying Food
Most of us have seen foods that have been dried to preserve them or to help them maintain a longer shelf life. But did you know that a lot of the products that have been dried started out as a liquid and then had Maltodextrin added to them?
Maltodextrin has been added to foods like instant puddings to bring the pudding to a powdered state so that it can be packaged easier and keep better on the shelf.
Once you add milk to the powder, the pudding returns to its original consistency, and the Maltodextrin leaves no after taste and does not alter the taste of the actual pudding.
What is Maltodextrin?
Maltodextrin is made from starches like potatoes or rice. Manufacturers cook down these products to release enzymes that are already in the food.
By releasing these enzymes, they are helping to continuously break down the starches. Once they have reached a certain stage in the cooking process, they are left with a white powder and is pure Maltodextrin.
Because it is made from carbs and starches, it is considered to be a gluten free product, which is great for people who need to cut out gluten from their diets.
So, does that mean Maltodextrin is safe for gluten allergies?
People with Celtics disease who should not have gluten in their diet should double check the labels on any food that may contain Maltodextrin.
There are some forms of maltodextrin that are made from wheat or barley and placed into food as the binding agent. On the majority of items that use wheat or barley, you will see ‘wheat maltodextrin’ under the list of ingredients.
You will find the maltodextrin that is made from starches on the back of food labels more often as it is more popular than the wheat maltodextrin. If you do not have a gluten allergy, but you may be gluten sensitive, you should also err on the side of caution and steer clear of the wheat maltodextrin.
If you are unsure of whether you have a gluten allergy, you should consult with your regular medical doctor before you eat any foods with wheat maltodextrin or regular maltodextrin in it.
Your doctor will want to run some tests on you to check for a gluten allergy. Once they have the results of those tests, they will be able to tell you whether you should be avoiding all Maltodextrin products or just the ones that are made from wheat or barley.
Maltodextrin, in general, is a very useful product that we probably see more than we think. And while it is only on the FDA list as generally safe to consume, it is gaining more popularity as a binding agent in foods.
Take a look at the items that you have in your pantry, and you may notice more and more items with Maltodextrin in them. It is great for protein shakes and smoothies, it helps keep that instant pudding in your pantry dry until you are ready to use it, and it helps to sweeten your coffee in the mornings.
There are definitely a lot of benefits to having Maltodextrin in your foods, especially those that you want to keep on the shelf for a while before using.
Just make sure that you consult with your medical doctor before you begin eating anything that has wheat maltodextrin it in. You will want to make sure that you do not have a gluten allergy or sensitivity that could be made worse by eating foods with wheat maltodextrin.
Next time you are in the grocery store, check the labels on the back of your products and see if Maltodextrin is being used. You might just be surprised.
