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dextrin

  (dĕk'strĭn) pronunciation also dextrine (dĕk'strĭn, -strēn')
n.

Any of various soluble polysaccharides obtained from starch by the application of heat or acids and used mainly as adhesives and thickening agents.


 
 

A polymer of D-glucose which is intermediate in complexity between starch and maltose. The dextrins are usually obtained by hydrolysis of starch with diastase (amylases). The higher dextrins resemble starch, while the lower dextrins more nearly resemble the sugars. Compared with the original starch, the dextrins produce less viscous solutions. They are soluble in water but insoluble in alcohol. Dextrins may be obtained from starch by controlled hydrolysis with acids. They are used commercially as adhesives. Tapioca, waxy maize, and sweet potato starch represent the best material for their manufacture. See also Glucose.


 

A mixture of soluble compounds formed by the partial breakdown of starch by heat, acid or enzymes (amylases). Formed when bread is toasted, and nutritionally equivalent to starch.

 

starch gum; starch sugar

A carbohydrate formed as an intermediate breakdown product in the digestion of starch by the enzyme, amylase. Dextrin is also formed by the application of dry heat on starch (e.g. toasting bread). Dextrin added to water forms a sticky gum used as a food thickener.

 
any one of a number of carbohydrates having the same general formula as starch but a smaller and less complex molecule. They are polysaccharides and are produced as intermediate products in the hydrolysis of starch by heat, by acids, and by enzymes. Their nature and their chemical behavior depend to a great extent on the kind of starch from which they are derived. For example, some react with iodine to give a reddish-brown color, others a blue, and still others yield no color at all. For commerical use dextrin is prepared by heating dry starch or starch treated with acids to produce a colorless or yellowish, tasteless, odorless powder which, when mixed with water, forms a strongly adhesive paste. It is used widely in adhesives, e.g., for postage stamps, envelopes, and wallpapers, and for sizing paper and textiles.


 

Any of a range of glucose polymers of varying sizes formed during the hydrolysis of starch.

  • limit d. — a by-product of glycogenolysis.
 
Wikipedia: dextrin

Dextrins are a group of low-molecular-weight carbohydrates produced by the hydrolysis of starch. Dextrins are mixtures of linear α-(1,4)-linked D-glucose polymers. They have the same general formula as carbohydrates but are of shorter chain length. Industrial production is generally performed by acidic hydrolysis of potato starch. Dextrins are water soluble, white to slightly yellow solids which are optically active. Analytically, dextrins can be detected with iodine solution, giving a red coloration.

Dextrin
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Dextrin

The cyclical dextrins are known as cyclodextrins. They are formed by enzymatic degradation of starch by certain bacteria, for example Bacillus macerans. Cyclodextrins have toroidal structures formed by 6-8 glucose residues.

Dextrins find widespread use in industry, due to their non-toxicity and their low price. They are used as water soluble glues, as thickening agents in food processing, and as binding agent in pharmaceuticals. In pyrotechnics they are added to colored fire formulas, allowing them to solidify as pellets or "stars." Cyclodextrins find additional use in analytical chemistry as a matrix for the separation of hydrophobic substances, and as excipients in pharmaceutical formulations. Not all forms of dextrin are digestible, and indigestible dextrin is sometimes used in fiber supplements.

For example, maltodextrin is a moderately sweet polysaccharide used as a food additive. It is produced from starch and is usually found as a creamy white hygroscopic powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose. The CAS registry number of maltodextrin is 9050-36-6.

Maltodextrin can be derived from any starch. In the US this starch is usually corn or potato, elsewhere such as in Europe it is commonly wheat. This is important for coeliacs since the wheat-derived maltodextrin can contain traces of gluten.

Foods containing maltodextrin may contain traces of amino acids, including glutamic acid as a manufacturing by-product. The amino acids traces would be too small to have any dietary significance.

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Fitness. Food and Fitness: A Dictionary of Diet and Exercise. Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dextrin" Read more

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