Unlocking the potential of β-limit dextrin: Preparation, structure, properties, and promising applications

Starch is a widely used and economically important polymer; however, its industrial applications are limited by certain shortcomings, such as retrogradation and high digestion rate. To overcome these limitations, native starches can be hydrolyzed by β-amylase, resulting in the production of β-limit dextrin (β-LD) and maltose as a co-product. β-LD retains the original inner core structure of its parent amylopectin and contains truncated external chains that is not prone to form exterior chain helical. The described molecular structures of β-LD impart unique physicochemical attributes, including prevention of retrogradation, high solubility, relatively low digestibility, etc. Compared with other dextrins, β-LD has a more defined structure and a larger molecular weight, but it still maintains high solubility, which endows β-LD with a wider range of potential applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. The considerations for improving preparation efficiency of β-LD, identifying additional functional traits, and expanding its industrial applications have been outlined along with future research directions. The insights provided in this review will be advantageous for the commercial production and utilization of β-LD in food industry to create value from native starch.