Dextrusion

Dextrusion is a nonstandard term used in a few technical fields to refer to an extrusion process involving dextrins or dextran-based materials, or more generally to the extrusion of dextrorotatory polymers. The word is not widely standardized and its meaning varies by context; readers should rely on the definition provided by the source.

In food engineering, dextrins—short chains derived from starch—can be processed by extrusion to create shaped snack products and texturized ingredients. The process uses an extruder, with parameters such as moisture content, temperature, screw design, and residence time tuned to control expansion, texture, and porosity. Degradation of starch and browning reactions may occur if processing conditions are too harsh.

In polymer and biomedical materials, extrusion of dextran-based or dextran-containing formulations can produce filaments, hydrogels, beads, or films for drug delivery or tissue engineering. The polysaccharide's viscosity and thermal sensitivity require careful control of temperature and shear, and crosslinking or drying steps often follow extrusion to stabilize the final form.

Because the term lacks a single accepted meaning, dextrusion is best treated as a descriptor whose precise meaning must be confirmed in each source. Related concepts include extrusion, dextrin, and dextran.