Dextrin HBCD tested for digestion and toxicity in lab and rats
What it found
In lab tests, HBCD broke down into normal sugars, and rats given a single high dose showed no deaths or signs of toxicity.
The authors say this supports its safety for people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Digestion in lab tests
HBCD broke down quickly into maltose and maltotriose when mixed with human saliva and pig pancreas enzymes. With rat intestinal tissue, it also formed maltotetraose and, after longer times, glucose.
Acute toxicity in rats
Rats given a single dose of 2000 mg per kg body weight showed no deaths, no signs of toxicity, and no abnormalities on internal examination.
Loose stools in rats
Some rats had loose stools that went away within 24 hours. The authors did not consider these to be effects caused by HBCD.
Mutation tests
HBCD did not cause mutations in the Ames test, with or without metabolic activation. The branching enzyme used to make HBCD was not acutely toxic in rats and did not cause mutations in the mouse lymphoma test.
What the authors conclude
“The results of this study demonstrate that HBCD is digested to normal and safe products of carbohydrate digestion, and therefore, support the safety of HBCD for human consumption.”
Also in their conclusions
- They state that HBCD is digested to normal and safe products of carbohydrate digestion.
- They say these results support the safety of HBCD for human consumption.
How it was done
HBCD is a dextrin food ingredient currently used only in Japan, and the authors wanted to check how it is digested and whether it could be toxic.
They tested HBCD with human saliva and pig pancreas enzymes, and with rat intestinal tissue. They gave a single dose of 2000 mg per kg body weight to Wistar rats, and ran mutation tests on HBCD and on the branching enzyme used to make it.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab and animal tests. They cannot show what happens in people who eat HBCD.
- The rat study used a single high dose, so it cannot show what happens with repeated smaller amounts over time.
The paper
- Title
- Safety evaluation of highly-branched cyclic dextrin and a 1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme from Bacillus stearothermophilus
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Choi SS, Danielewska-Nikiel B, Ohdan K, Kojima I, Takata H, Kuriki T (2009). Safety evaluation of highly-branched cyclic dextrin and a 1,4-alpha-glucan branching enzyme from Bacillus stearothermophilus. Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2009.07.011PubMed 19651182DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error