Category: sugar
Aliases: Glucose polymer, Dried glucose syrup, Maltodextrin, Glucose syrup solids, Hydrolyzed starch, Corn syrup solids
A polydisperse alpha-1,4-linked D-glucose polymer (with occasional alpha-1,6 branches) of low dextrose equivalent (DE 3-20), produced by partial acid or enzymatic hydrolysis of starch (commonly corn, wheat, tapioca, or potato). It is not intact starch and not a free sugar, but luminal alpha-amylase and brush-border maltase-glucoamylase cleave it rapidly and near-completely to free glucose, which is absorbed via SGLT1 and GLUT2. Consequently it behaves metabolically like glucose: a brisk glycemic and [[insulin]] response and a glycemic index often equal to or exceeding sucrose despite its polysaccharide structure. Functionally it serves as a bland, readily digestible carbohydrate bulking agent, carrier, and rapid energy source rather than a sweetener; longer-chain, lower-DE grades contribute body and viscosity with minimal sweetness.