Maltodextrin is a popular ingredient used in many processed and packaged foods. Pastries, soft drinks, and candies contain this polysaccharide. It is one of the carbohydrate supplements prepared from potato or corn starch. Many people believe that maltodextrin use is harmful to health. But is it beneficial to give kids maltodextrin-based food? Does it have any side effects? Let's get into the details.
What Is Maltodextrin?
It is a white-coloured powder prepared from wheat, corn, potato starch, or rice. Although it is plant produced, it is highly processed to enhance the texture of the food. Starch content in corn, potato, rice, wheat, or other plant products undergoes complex chemical processing to make a neutral-tasting powder called maltodextrin.
As produced artificially, several foods use it, including:
- baked foods
- artificial sweeteners
- spice mixes
- sauces
- yoghurt
- nutrition bars
- pie fillings and snacks
- salad dressings
- meal replacement shakes
US FDA or United States Food and Drug Administration, has listed maltodextrin use as GRAS food or Generally Recognized As Safe additive. Although highly processed, it is vegan and gluten-free. Food manufacturers use it to enhance the texture, flavour, consistency, and taste of the food.
When added in the food, it helps:
- Thicken liquid or foods for binding the nutrients better.
- Replace the fat or sugar in low-calorie food or processed foods.
- Preserve food and enhance its shelf life.
Nowadays, children want something exciting, creative, and delicious stuff. They bend towards packaged foods with a luring taste and flavour like chips, cakes, etc. Does maltodextrin benefit your kid? Should they intake such ingredients regularly?
It is an easy-to-digest carbohydrate that provides instant energy, making it a popular choice for sports and energy drinks. Although considered safe, the excessive use of maltodextrin may affect one's metabolism and impact several health conditions.
How Is Maltodextrin Made?
It is a plant-based polysaccharide that is industrially processed. Manufacturers use the process of hydrolysis to make this polysaccharide. The first step of making maltodextrin is cooking corn, wheat, rice, or potato starch. Further, the cooked starch undergoes breakdown with the combination of acids and enzymes.
They further treat it with some enzymes like heat-stable bacterial alpha-amylase and acids. The process breaks down the complex starch particles into a white powder, which has a neutral taste and is water-soluble.
Corn syrup solids and maltodextrins are somewhat similar. The only difference between them is the sugar content. Corn syrup solids contain at least 20% sugar. However, maltodextrin is less than 20% sugar after hydrolysis.
Nutritional Value in Maltodextrin
Maltodextrins are a source of energy that provides four calories of energy in 1 gram, a bit similar to sucrose. It is easily digestible, providing a quick energy boost. However, its GI or Glycaemic Index is higher than sugar, particularly between 106 and 136.
Higher GI means it can increase the blood glucose level quickly. Maltodextrins contain 3-19 D-glucose or Dextrose, linked through alpha (1-4) bonds. Here is the nutritional value of 1 gram of maltodextrins:
- Calories: 3.8 to 4
- Sweetness: 0-70%
- Net carbohydrates: 1 g or 100%
- Glycaemic Index: 80-120
- Protein: 0%
- Vitamins & Minerals: 0%
Which Foods Contain Maltodextrin?
We often consume maltodextrins without being aware of them. Some foods that contain maltodextrin are:
- Rice, pasta, and cooked cereals
- Salad dressings
- Frozen meals
- Energy and sports drink
- Candies
- Soft drinks
- Nutrition bars
- Baked foods
- Meat substitutes
- Beer
- Weight-training supplements
Almost all packaged food contains traces of maltodextrins. For instance, it acts as a fat replacer in low-calorie foods, a binder in pills, a stabiliser, and a thickener in infant formula, cold meats, and instant soups.
Benefits of Maltodextrin
1. Keeps Energised While Exercising
Research shows that supplements of maltodextrin help maintain anaerobic power while exercising. It is a quick-digestible carbohydrate often present in athletes' sports and energy drinks.
It helps one to rehydrate and also replenish the stored carbohydrate simultaneously. If athletes or bodybuilders are trying to gain weight, it can be a good source of filling in quick calories during or after exercise.
Unlike some carbohydrates, it does not require much water for digestion. Hence, it ensures quick calorie addition without getting dehydrated.
2. Helps Deal With Chronic Hypoglycemia
Chronic hypoglycemia is a situation of low blood sugar levels. Maltodextrin helps increase the blood sugar level, helping normalise the blood sugar level. It has a high Glycemic Index or GI of approx 80-120 that enhances glucose levels. Hence, people suffering from chronic hypoglycemia consume supplements containing maltodextrin.
3. Digestion
Studies show that digestion-resistant maltodextrins or DRM positively impact overall digestion. It improves stool volume and consistency. It even helps enhance intestinal function and improves CTT or Colonic Transit Time.
4. Help Prevent Colorectal Cancer
A study shows that maltodextrins contain Fibersol-2, which is one of the forms of digestive-resistant maltodextrins. It has anti-tumour activity, which helps prevent the growth of the tumour and any side effects associated with it. The fermentation of maltodextrins in the intestines acts as a protective agent, helping prevent colorectal cancer.
Is Maltodextrin Safe For Kids?
Despite several benefits, when it comes to feeding the kids, a common question arises: is maltodextrin harmful?
Without any doubt, maltodextrins have become quite popular in the food industry, used in major packaged food. Parents often prefer giving foods labelling 'no added sugars.' Experts mean sugar as the number of compounds in a broad category of saccharides. Some saccharides vital for infant development are glucose or starch sugar, fructose or fruit sugar, sucrose or cane sugar, and lactose or milk sugar.
But what about maltodextrin; is it safe? People often use it in a baby's diet in three ways:
- As a primary source of carbohydrate
- As a natural preservative
- As a thickener
- As a supplement of carbohydrate source
Are there any maltodextrin side effects? Its direct consumption can be harmful to kids having a sensitive stomachs. However, it is less prone to side effects if consumed as a supplement or an additive. It may cause silent reflux, reflux, or dairy-related symptoms.
However, some long-term side effects include:
- Intestinal injury
- Gas and bloating
- Pedalling legs
- Screaming, grizzling, crying
- green stools
- Short sleep cycles
The US FDA claims that maltodextrin might alter gut bacteria. Its excessive use, like eating chips and cakes frequently, often reduces good gut bacteria, causing several bowel issues.
It slowly removes the cell layering, leading to increased cell death. It even increases mucins, which can lead to transformation and cause tumour growth.
It is a complex carb, a combination of molecular chains of carbohydrates which a kid can digest quickly. However, maltodextrin's quality depends on the processing technique. If manufacturers use genetically modified (GMO) corn grown with toxic fertilisers, it can be harmful to kids. However, organic cultivation generates non-genetically modified corn less prone to fertilisers.
Baby products contain maltodextrin and are safe to use. However, its potential risk increases when manufacturers add toxic ingredients to it. High GI can even lead to the symptoms of type 2 diabetes if consumed in high quantities or using toxic maltodextrins. It is, however, more safe than harmful.
Modern industries use lactose to mimic breast milk. Constant lactose or powder milk use puts your kid at risk of sugar dependency. In such cases, maltodextrin use is a better alternative. When choosing any baby product, make sure it is certified and produced using organic techniques. These are less harmful and pose less risk to kids.
Summing Up
Every child needs sugar for proper development. Carbohydrate is a vital nutrient that ensures the healthy development of kids. If lactose-based milk products interfere with your kid's digestion, switch to maltodextrin-based products.
Non-GMO maltodextrins are a better alternative to this. However, monitor your child's health and check whether its consumption is getting harmful to them or not.
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References
- María Salud Abellán Ruiz,1 María Dolores Barnuevo Espinosa, October 2015; Digestion-resistant maltodextrin effects on colonic transit time and stool weight: a randomized controlled clinical study - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122613/
- Toru Ouchi, Mutsuko Ouchi, January 2015; Tumor suppression by resistant maltodextrin, Fibersol-2 - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15384047.2015.1009269
