Maltodextrin in Specially Formulated Milk Powder

It is known that carbohydrates, also known as sugars, are the most important and economical source of energy for the human body. Carbohydrates are divided into three categories: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides according to the complexity and simplicity of their molecular structures. Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates, easily soluble in water, and can be directly absorbed and utilized by the human body. The most common monosaccharides are glucose, fructose and galactose. Disaccharides are sugars formed by the condensation of two molecules of monosaccharides by removing one molecule of water. They are easily soluble in water. They need to be broken down into monosaccharides before they can be absorbed by the body. The most common disaccharides are sucrose, maltose and lactose. Polysaccharides are macromolecular compounds composed of many monosaccharide molecules, which are non-sweet and insoluble in water. The most common polysaccharides mainly include starch, dextrin, glycogen and dietary fiber. Starch can be decomposed into dextrin under the action of digestive enzymes, and then further digested into maltooligosaccharides and maltose until glucose is absorbed. From this point of view, in the process of metabolism in vivo, dextrin is an intermediate product from starch to glucose, and the final product of digestion is monosaccharide glucose.

What is maltodextrin?

Maltodextrin refers to starch-free starch derivatives made from starch by enzymatic low-level hydrolysis, refining, and spray drying. That is, maltodextrin is pregelatinized starch, which is a hydrolysis product of starch.

The role of "maltodextrin" in food.

Maltodextrin is not superior or inferior to other types of carbohydrates, they are equivalent. From a nutritional point of view, the energy provided by the three major nutrients carbohydrates, fat, and protein in children's diets should follow a certain ratio, and all three nutrients supply energy for the human body. Theoretically speaking, as energy-providing carbohydrates, the content of maltodextrin in a product is understandable as long as it is within the total amount of carbohydrates allowed by the product, that is to say, maltodextrin does not exceed the amount of carbohydrates. The total amount of compounds will not affect the ratio of other nutrients. The most common carbohydrates in infant foods are lactose, maltodextrin, corn starch, etc., and there is no difference in the energy provided by these carbohydrates. According to the data, polysaccharides are the most widely used carbohydrate raw materials, followed by monosaccharides, disaccharides, and dietary fiber, and maltodextrin is the most commonly used polysaccharide.

The wide application of maltodextrin is inseparable from its characteristics, mainly because it can meet the special needs of special medical food for carbohydrates.

1. Suitable for lactose intolerance.

Lactose-free or low-lactose formulas should completely or partially replace lactose with other carbohydrates; lactose can be completely or partially replaced by other carbohydrates in formulas with partially hydrolyzed milk proteins. Other carbohydrates refer to glucose polymers or pregelatinized starches, but not fructose. Therefore, lactose-free formulas mostly replace lactose with carbohydrates such as maltodextrin and glucose syrup, and avoid lactose from food to alleviate lactose intolerance.

2. It has little effect on the osmotic pressure of infant formula.

The osmotic pressure of breast milk is about 260-310 mOsm/kg, and the highest osmotic pressure of infant formula powder should not exceed 400 mOsm/kg, otherwise the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms will increase. For premature/low birth weight formulas, the high energy density of the formula may increase the osmotic pressure; for babies with allergies, the deep hydrolysis and amino acid formula will affect the osmotic pressure with the increase of the degree of hydrolysis. Therefore, the influence of infant formula raw materials on osmotic pressure is extremely important.

3. Low sweetness.

The sweetness of maltodextrin is lower than the solid sweetness of fructose syrup and corn syrup, so there is no risk of aggravating the baby's taste. At the same time, maltodextrin also has the advantages of food raw materials such as easy digestion and absorption. For babies with special needs, maltodextrin exerts its important nutritional value.