Do you want to prepare properly for your race and be in the best possible shape on the start line? Remember to eat maltodextrin during the 3 days prior to the race!
Maltodextrin is composed of carbohydrates. What do they do? They provide energy for the muscles. This energy arrives at its destination more or less quickly. Maltodextrin actually ensures that these carbohydrates are absorbed without your body feeling any excesses (pasta, sugar, etc.) Reasons.
Maltodextrin does not taste sweet, can be easily digested and is well-tolerated by the body, unlike fructose.
It is useful as an energy drink because of its low osmotic concentration (concentration of molecules in the solution) compared with the number of glucose molecules present. For the same total quantity of glucose, the osmotic concentration of the drink is lower when using maltodextrin.
BEFORE:
Increasing the carb intake 3 days before a race helps to increase the glycogen reserves in the muscles. For some people, increasing the carb intake is difficult or they do not want to modify their dietary balance. This is where maltodextrin can be very useful. Indeed, maltodextrin-based drinks are highly concentrated drinks that remain isotonic or hypotonic and are therefore very well tolerated by the body and do not taste too sweet, so that they can be taken without causing a sickening feeling.
DURING AND AFTER:
The objectives of sports drinks are to speed up recovery and provide energy. Yet, if these drinks contained only carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index (simple carbohydrates), they would be hypertonic, which would lead to dehydration and give them a very strong sweet taste! This is where maltodextrin is effective because it provides concentrated carbohydrates while its low osmotic concentration makes the drinks isotonic or even hypotonic. What's more, its lack of a sweet flavour avoids the sickening feeling of sugar that certain athletes encounter during physical exercise.
Maltodextrins are used as a source of carbohydrates, as a neutral medium and in several technological functions such as in texturising agents, thickening agents, anti-crystallising agents or colouring agents.
These technological functions will be useful in several domains such as:
- Nutrition science: infant, clinical, sports, slimming.
- Powders: flavours, sweeteners, soup, powdered drinks
- Fermentation: in bakeries, breweries or delicatessens.
- Technological: preparation of biscuits, ice cream, sauces.
Maltodextrin is a combination of sugars made from the hydrolysis of wheat and corn starch. Hydrolysis involves breaking up the long carbohydrate chains of starch to create smaller carbohydrates. The degree of hydrolysis is measured in DE (Dextrose equivalent). The higher the DE, the higher the number of simple carbohydrates in the maltodextrin. DE = 0 – non-transformed starch, DE = 100 – glucose or fully hydrolysed starch.A DE between 0 and 20 indicates the state of maltodextrin, given that a DE in excess of 20 produces glucose syrup.
Maltodextrin has the property of not tasting sweet and it has no odour. It is therefore often used in liquid preparations.
In conclusion, maltodextrin is a carbohydrate that lies between starch and glucose.
DIÉTÉTICIENNE-NUTRITIONNISTE, PASSIONNÉE DE RAID MULTISPORT ET D'AVIRON