Dextrins
What it does
Thickener/carrier.
How it's made
Made by breaking down starch.
Dextrins are modified starches used as thickeners, binders and bulking agents, and to give a glossy coating or crispness to some foods. They are essentially starch that has been partly broken down into smaller, more soluble fragments, which changes how it behaves in food.
They are made by "roasting" or treating starch (from corn, wheat, potato or tapioca) with heat, often with a small amount of acid, which partially breaks the long starch chains into shorter pieces (a process called dextrinisation). The degree of breakdown is controlled to produce dextrins with the desired solubility and thickening power.
The dextrin is then purified, neutralised if acid was used, and dried into a powder. Because the starch chains are shorter, dextrins dissolve more easily and give a different, often less gluey texture than raw starch; they are used where a lighter thickening, a binding effect or a crisp coating is wanted, and are plant-derived.
Possible reactions
Generally safe; usually gluten-free if from maize.