Morphological and Physicochemical Characterization of Commercial Maltodextrins with Different Degrees of Dextrose-Equivalent

Abstract

Maltodextrins show increasing industrial applications depending on the extent of the starch hydrolysis. This paper reports a relationship between morphological and physico-chemical characteristics of different maltodextrins (A, B, and C) in order to establish appropriate uses. The moisture content of the maltodextrins varied from 2.82 to 6.47% and true and bulk density, average particle size, and porosity of the maltodextrins ranged from 1.14–1.44 g/mL, 0.33–0.49 g/mL, 39.44–289.17 μm, and 59.70–67.58%, respectively. Spherical, irregular, and filamentous shapes conduct to low values of wetting times. The increase in the DE level of maltodextrins from the same botanical source caused a decrease in the dissolution time. Results demonstrated that products obtained by supplier B showed the best performance and regularity in the dissolution/dispersion characteristics in water meanwhile maltodextrins manufactured by supplier A would be favored by an agglomeration process.

Keywords:

• Maltodextrins
• Corn
• Cassava
• Physical properties
• Morphology
• Powder

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We acknowledge the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de São Paulo (FAPESP) for the research grant (proc. n° 03/08377-4) and for the doctorate scholarship (proc. n° 03/001105-9) granted to Cristina Yoshie Takeiti.