Digestibility and toxicity testing of highly-branched cyclic dextrin in lab tests and rats
What it found
Highly-branched cyclic dextrin broke down into normal sugars in lab digestion tests.
A single large dose given to rats caused no deaths or lasting harm.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Breakdown during digestion
In lab tests, human saliva and pig enzymes quickly broke the dextrin down into smaller sugars. Rat gut tissue turned it into maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, and eventually glucose over time.
Single high dose in rats
Rats given one oral dose of 2000mg/kg body weight showed no deaths or signs of harm when examined. Some had loose stools, but this cleared up within 24 hours.
Gene damage tests
The dextrin did not cause gene damage in the Ames test, with or without added liver enzymes. The enzyme used to make it also showed no gene damage in a mouse cell test.
Enzyme used to make it
The branching enzyme used to produce the dextrin was also tested in rats. It caused no acute harm when swallowed.
What the authors conclude
- They say the dextrin breaks down into normal carbohydrate digestion products that are safe.
- The authors conclude their results support the safety of this dextrin for people to eat.
How it was done
Highly-branched cyclic dextrin is a food ingredient currently used only in Japan. The researchers wanted to check how it is digested and whether it could be harmful.
They tested how the dextrin breaks down using human saliva, pig enzymes, and rat gut tissue in the lab. They also gave a single oral dose of 2000mg/kg body weight to Wistar rats and checked for harm. Lab tests for gene damage were run on both the dextrin and the enzyme used to make it.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These digestion and toxicity tests were done in lab tubes and rats, so they cannot show exactly what happens in people eating it regularly.
- A single dose in rats cannot reveal effects from long-term daily use.
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 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error