Dextrinated Cornmeal
Dextrinated cornmeal is essentially modified corn starch and is regarded as a normal food ingredient. The processing produces shorter-chain carbohydrates with rapid digestibility, contributing to the food's glycemic load.
What it is
Cornmeal that has been treated with heat and/or acid to partially hydrolyze its starch into shorter dextrin chains, increasing solubility and lowering molecular weight.
Texturizer and bulking agent in cereal, snack, and infant food products; improves crunch in extruded foods.
Why it's flagged
- high glycemic load
- rapid digestion vs. whole-grain corn
What regulators actually say
"Dextrin is a polymer of D-glucose units that is produced from starch or starch-containing substances by heat alone or by treatment with food-grade acids... GRAS when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice."
"Food starch may be modified by treatment with...acids, alkalis, oxidizing agents, etc."
Regulatory status
United States — FDA
Modified corn starches and dextrins permitted under 21 CFR 184.1277 (dextrin) and 172.892 (modified food starch).
European Union — EFSA
Dextrins authorized as additives or food ingredients depending on production method.
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