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.
No EU E-number (regulated as a food ingredient, not an additive; quantum satis, no numeric ADI). Essentially non-sweet to faintly sweet (roughly 0-0.2x sucrose, rising with higher DE). Key flag: high glycemic index (frequently >=sucrose, ~85-130) despite being a polysaccharide; rapidly raises blood glucose. Usually gluten-safe even from wheat (hydrolysis removes protein) but not for those avoiding all glucose/high-GI loads.