Maltodextrin - use in extracts

People often ask why there is maltodextrin in extracts, here is some basic data and a couple of links for more information.

If a plant (leaves or roots for example) is macerated in alcohol or water to extract some of the active ingredients, you are left with a coloured liquid. The best example is a cup of tea, you put tea leaves into a pot and pour on boiling water and leave it. After a period of time you have extracted the tannins and other compounds from the leaves. You now have a liquid extract.

All the extracts we use are obviously dry powders, so how do you get from the liquid to a powder?

There are several methods, the most common is spray-drying (or micro-encapsulation) which usually requires a carrier to bind to. You can vacuum dry (or freeze dry) some liquids with no carrier (some fruit or vegetable juices) but some if they are sticky have to have a carrier. Additionally, vacuum or freeze drying is much more expensive, so the costs can rise significantly.

Maltodextrin is used because it is cheap and has all the various properties as per the first link below. There are alternative carriers but they are not necessarily suitable for all products.

Maltodextrin in Plant Extracts

Maltodextrin as a carrier