Maltodextrin?

[hineini]

Friends brought some corn chips (can't remember the brand, but they were salsa-flavored) to my birthday picnic. [Yes, I'm turning 25 on Wednesday!]. I was about to eat them, then thought to check the ingredients. One was "Maltodextrin." I said "sorry, I can't eat them." Then my friend pointed to the side of the package where they said "GLUTEN FREE".

I'm confused. Isn't maltodextrin a barley product? Can this product really be gluten free and contain maltodextrin?

[Aerin328]

Maltodextrin CAN be made from barley or other gluten containing grains (it usually is in fact in this country), but in some cases it is not. In general I think you have to avoid it. I'm not an expert but I'd say you could probably trust gluten-free chips if they are labelled as such... if you're not sure, it's usually easy to contact the company.

[lovegrov]

In the U.S. maltodextrin is NEVER made from wheat. If it is made from wheat in an imported product, by law it MUST state so. If the ingredients don't note that it's made from wheat, it isn't. I've never heard of it being made from barley.

richard

[hineini]

Thanks folks! That's very helpful.

[Franceen]

BY LAW it is NOT made from Wheat Barley or Rye in the US (I think it's from corn/maize).

If "made in US" it is safe.

[gfp]

BY LAW it is NOT made from Wheat Barley or Rye in the US (I think it's from corn/maize).

If "made in US" it is safe.

I'm not sure about by law. By law it should be labelled if its from wheat but as i understand it this is simply chance/economics that it is made from corn.

This may have changed but this is my recollection from older studies.

The biggest danger is that in the EU it is usually made from wheat... and dextrine is a commodity like any other.

If economics dictate it could be used from anything. My GUESS is the US has only a handful of processing plants making dextrine and maltodextrine on a large scale and these factories are not about to change if they are tooled up to corn.

What is more likely is someone buys maltodextrine from outside the US whicvh is unspecified. It all goes back to plausible deniability, they can claim it had no gluten warning and blame their supplier who is safely somewhere else.

[psawyer]

I'm not sure about by law.

I am!

USA Code of Federal Regulations, Sec. 184.1444 Maltodextrin

CAS Reg. No. 9050-36-6. It is a nonsweet nutritive saccaride polymer that consists of D-glucose units linked primarily by [alpha]-1-4 bonds and has a dextrose equivalent (DE) of less than 20. It is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of cornstarch, potato starch or rice starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes.

If it is made from something else, it must say so. In addition, in the US, FALCPA requires wheat to be clearly labelled in every single case.

[gfp]

I am!

If it is made from something else, it must say so. In addition, in the US, FALCPA requires wheat to be clearly labelled in every single case.

Thanks for posting that... which is why I said I was not sure. I have read a study mutliple times (it keeps coming up) that obviously pre-dates this but i was equally aware it was an old paper. I was aware the labelling laws had changed though. Do you have the date of this?

Reason being I have a couple of products I have held off using in my cupboard friends have brought me ....and its fast approaching toss em or use em time!

[Aerin328]

Thanks for clarifying for us! As a newbie I was just staying away from the word as another "to be avoided."

So as long as it JUST says "Maltodextrin" (with no mention to wheat or rye) on a form of US packaging it's OK, yes? Thanks again!

[psawyer]

I was aware the labelling laws had changed though. Do you have the date of this?

The Food Allergy Labelling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004 and took effect on January 1, 2006. It requires that the top eight food allergens be clearly disclosed by name on all food labels in the US. The eight are: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans. Of the possible sources of gluten, only wheat is included.

The regulation regarding maltodextrin is quite a bit older, although I don't know the exact date when it took effect. It has certainly been the case for the time I have been gluten-free, which is six years.

So, yes, maltodextrin is safe in the US (and in Canada too).

[gfp]

The Food Allergy Labelling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) was passed in 2004 and took effect on January 1, 2006. It requires that the top eight food allergens be clearly disclosed by name on all food labels in the US. The eight are: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans. Of the possible sources of gluten, only wheat is included.

The regulation regarding maltodextrin is quite a bit older, although I don't know the exact date when it took effect. It has certainly been the case for the time I have been gluten-free, which is six years.

So, yes, maltodextrin is safe in the US (and in Canada too).

Thanks, the stuff is definately not 6 yrs old

Having been caught out with this on European products over a long time its something I find naturally scary!