Maltodextrins

Maltodextrins are water-soluble carbohydrates derived from starch mainly from corn starch, which is made up of long chains of glucose that can be broken down into gradually simpler carbohydrates. Malt dextrins are therefore, in practice, partially digested starch.

For this reason, maltodextrins have particular characteristics that are useful both for athletes and in the food industry. Maltodextrins, in fact, have a pleasant flavour, are easily assimilated and soluble in water, represent a good compromise between sugar assimilation times and energy availability, and their intake has no particular side effects. Maltodextrin is a complex water-soluble carbohydrate, therefore, an excellent substitute for dextrose and for this very reason, at the end of the 1980s, the bodybuilding industry used it massively to increase the intake of carbohydrates in the diet without resorting to sugar. Maltodextrin can derive from any type of starch if it is derived from wheat it could alarm those who suffer from gluten intolerance, such fears are unfounded. In fact, the production of maltodextrin involves treatments during which most of the proteins are removed, effectively making it a gluten-free substance.