dextrin (deks-trin) n. a carbohydrate formed as an intermediate product in the digestion of starch by the enzyme amylase. Dextrin is used in the preparation of pharmaceutical products and surgical dressings.
limit dextrin When a branched polysaccharide such as glycogen or amylopectin is hydrolysed enzymically, glucose units are removed one at a time until a branch point is reached. The hydrolysis then stops, leaving what is termed a limit dextrin; further hydrolysis requires a different enzyme. Source for information on limit dextrin: A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition dictionary. dextrin, limit See limit dextrin.
dextrin cluster, Source for information on dextrin, limit: A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition dictionary. To support its growing business the company constructed a dextrin refinery in Plainfield, New Jersey, which opened in 1934. Demand for starch-based adhesives continued to grow despite the Depression, necessitating the acquisition of a corn starch company to insure a steady supply of starch and consistent pricing. The malto-dextrin additive is extremely important in fruit leathers in that it provides the soft texture and malleability required for the product. Sweeteners are the other significant additive to the product.
dextrin cluster, Sweeteners generally include corn syrup or sugar, and in some products, include both. Ingelmann began working on pectin as well as dextrin. In the 1950s he had developed a separation process, using a centrifuge, that had been unsatisfactory. Later, Jerker Porath and Per Flodin developed a new separation method using a cellulose powder which eventually was marketed as Sephardex.
