Feasibility study for determination of the dextrose equivalent (DE) of starch hydrolysis products with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

Starch hydrolysis products such as maltodextrin and glucose syrup have many applications in the pharmaceutical and food industry. Several physical and functional properties, for example sweetness, compressibility and viscosity vary according to the extent of starch hydrolysis which is characterized by the dextrose equivalent (DE) value. The Pharmacopoeias use the titrimetric Lane Eynon method with alkaline Fehling's solution for determination of DE. In order to replace this empirical method, near-infrared (NIR) calibration models for the reagent-free determination of DE were developed. The maltodextrin model with a DE of less than 20 showed very good correlation with r = 0.97. The correlation of the extended model of maltodextrin and spray-dried glucose syrup with a DE up to 44 was calculated to be r = 0.99. The NIR method is a very effective, rapid and non-destructive alternative to the current pharmacopoeial procedure.