I take huge pride in Mykind Organics vitamins being whole food-based, organic, non-GMO, and free of any synthetic fillers or additives. So I just wanted to clear the air on two ingredients that may sound funky but truly are food-based ingredients. The first one is organic tapioca dextrose. The second is maltodextrin.
What is Tapioca Dextrose?
Tapioca dextrose is produced from organic tapioca starch using natural enzymes. It may sound like it has sugar, but really it doesn’t add any sweetness or sugar content because it is used in such a micro amount.
You’ll find dextrose used across the food and beverage industry as well as in personal care products. It can assist with moisturizing and flavor and it also reduces dusting—especially helpful in tablets (vitamins, mints, etc) to keep all the good stuff together!
It’s derived from the root of the cassava plant—and it’s the same stuff that makes yummy tapioca pudding. Cassava grows throughout South America and is a staple in many cultures. It’s a renewable, reusable, and bio-based material with lots of benefits. Communities that grow cassava use nearly all of the plant and tapioca dextrose is just one example of its many benefits.
What is Maltodextrin?
The word “maltodextrin” may sound a bit scary, but it’s the same thing as with dextrose—a tapioca starch digested by natural enzymes. Maltodextrin signifies a chain of smaller molecules joined together, but again, in such tiny amounts that it does not add any sweetness or sugar content to the tablets.
Both of these ingredients were chosen because they hold the tablet together so that you get all of the goodness of the mykind vitamins, but also allow it to fully and quickly disperse the nutrients in your stomach. This promotes maximum absorption so your body can fully utilize the vitamins and minerals.
Organic Vitamins
We went with these two natural non-GMO ingredients instead of commonly used chemical ingredients including conventional maltodextrin, dextrose, and magnesium stearate, which are usually formed via hydrogenated oils (which are commonly GMO) and/or chemicals.
Magnesium stearate used in manufacturing facilities is chemically made from stearic acid. Stearic acid is a long-chain saturated fat that is abundant in beef, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. It is often described on supplement labels as “vegetable lubricant” so the consumer does not see magnesium stearate on the label!
There is much controversy about magnesium stearate use, with claims such as it can induce the formation of harmful biofilms in the intestine or suppress T cells (natural killer cells that play an important role in your immune system.) It’s even banned in countries like Japan. Creepy! For this reason, we steered clear of it and instead went with an organic food-based alternative instead.
