What does dextrine mean?
Dextrine is a soluble, gummy substance produced when starch is partially broken down by heat, acids, or enzymes. Chemically, it belongs to a family of intermediate products formed on the pathway from complex starch molecules to simple sugars such as glucose. Because it forms strong, fast-drying films when dissolved in water, dextrine found wide industrial use: it has long served as the adhesive on postage stamps and envelopes, as a binder in pharmaceutical tablets, and as a thickener or coating agent in food processing and textile manufacture. The name reflects a chemical property — dextrine solutions rotate plane-polarized light to the right, or dextrorotationally, a trait it shares with dextrose. In modern usage the shorter spelling 'dextrin' has become standard, and 'dextrine' survives chiefly in British and older technical writing. Though rarely encountered outside specialized fields, the word captures a substance quietly present in everyday objects, from sticky labels to baked goods.
nounA soluble gummy substance obtained from starch by the action of heat, acids, or enzymes, used as an adhesive and thickener. Dextrine is an intermediate product in the breakdown of starch into simpler sugars such as glucose.
- A soluble gummy polysaccharide formed from starch by partial hydrolysis, used in adhesives, gums, and sizing.
- (Chemistry) Any of a class of intermediate products in the conversion of starch to sugars.
"The stamp's gum was made from dextrine, which dissolved readily when moistened."
"Manufacturers favored dextrine for envelope adhesives because it bonded cleanly and dried quickly."
"During the hydrolysis of starch, dextrine appears as one of the first detectable intermediates before maltose and glucose form."
Rarely pluralized in practice; the uncountable singular is standard, since dextrine typically denotes a substance or class of substances collectively.
"Different dextrines can be distinguished by their color and degree of solubility."
The glue on the back of every classic postage stamp owed its stickiness to dextrine — a substance named for its habit of rotating polarized light to the right.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dextrine
The word dextrine was coined in the early nineteenth century by French chemists studying the products of starch breakdown, deriving from Latin 'dexter' meaning 'right-hand' or 'on the right'. The name refers to the substance's dextrorotatory character — its solutions rotate plane-polarized light clockwise. The same Latin root gives English words such as 'dexterity', 'dexterous', and 'ambidextrous', all originally concerned with the right hand. The variant spelling without the final -e, 'dextrin', arose later and is now the dominant form in scientific usage.
Related word forms
How dextrine is actually used
The spelling 'dextrine' (with final -e) is now largely superseded by 'dextrin', which is preferred in modern chemistry and industry; 'dextrine' persists mainly in British technical literature and historical texts. The word is technical or commercial rather than everyday vocabulary, appearing mostly in contexts of adhesives, food processing, and paper manufacturing.
Easily confused with dextrine
Dextrin is the more common modern spelling of the same substance; 'dextrine' with a final -e is a chiefly British variant spelling.
Dextrose is the simple sugar glucose, whereas dextrine is a larger, intermediate starch-derived polysaccharide.