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dextrin

dextrin

1 8.4
A soft powder made from starch that thickens food and helps things stick together
  • noun
  • /ˈdɛkstrɪn/
  • Specialized
: dextrina
  • In cooking, dextrin can be used to enhance the creaminess of sauces without adding extra calories.

Examples

  • Dubbed the "Pepsi Special," the soft drink set to go on sale Tuesday contains dextrin, a fiber that distributor Suntory claims helps reduce fat levels in the body.

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  • Pepsi Special contains dextrin, "a type of 'functional fiber,'" explained our resident dietitian, Mary Hartley, RD.

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  • Dextrin can be found in glue products as well, but it's not safe to consume in that form.

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  • "Dextrin and its soda carrier will definitely not produce weight loss, and it may cause bloating and gas when introduced to the body."

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  • "Most people eat some dextrins every day without noticing a change in weight," she said.

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  • There are a number of foods and medications that contain dextrin and have for about half a century, notes Hartley.

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  • Benefits of dextrin include stabilizing blood glucose, regulating insulin, reducing the risk of heart disease, and reducing cholesterol and fat cell levels in the body.

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  • This new fiber-infused drink, called the "Pepsi Special," contains dextrin, a fiber that distributor Suntory claims helps reduce fat levels in the body.

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  • Dextrins are true soluble fibers that can help improve digestion.

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  • Pepsi Special, a new drink distributed by Pepsi's partner in Japan, Suntory Holdings Limited, contains dextrin, a dietary fiber that dissolves in water and is found in fiber supplements such as Benefiber.

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Surface Forms

dextrin singular
dextrins plural

Morphology

dextrin = dextr + in

The element 'dextr-' is a technical combining form (not a familiar standalone English word) and '-in' is a chemical noun suffix, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived by an average learner from known English base words.

Etymology

Dextrin comes from the root dextro-, which means 'right', because early scientists noticed it behaved like some sugars that made light turn to the 'right' in simple lab tests. Today dextrin is a small, sticky product made when starch breaks down, which is why it is used as a thickener and as a glue.