Earth Notions Gelatinized maca INfo


WHAT IS GELATINIZED MACA?

Maca (Lepidium peruvianum) contains about 60% carbohydrates in its nutritional composition. When consumed, some of the ingredients in these carbohydrates are not easily digested and assimilated by certain individuals. Gelatinization is an extrusion process  whereby a quick application ( seconds ) of heat  and extrusion is used to split and break the long chain of starches in maca, resulting in a more concentrated product with higher digestibility and solubility.  It is important to note that gelatinization is achieved without altering any of the maca's active ingredients.

The 3 main advantages of Gelatinized Maca:

Digestibility - An important factor in measuring digestibility of a product is its Gelatinization Index. If this value is closer to 100%, the product will have a higher degree of digestibility. The average value for the gelatinization rate of Earth Notions Gelatinized Maca is 99.6%.

Concentration - The process of gelatinization impacts positively on the concentration of the main active ingredients in Maca. The process breaks the ties that bind the starch molecules to various compounds such as amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (macaenes, macamides), glucosinolates and other important components of the Maca. In the case of glucocinolates, for example,  the concentration of glucocinolates does increase by about 0.05% and this is just one of the active compounds affected, the other compounds also increase. Gelatiniozed maca may indeed be more concentrated but it must be understood that we are not talking about an increase in concentration to be equal to that of an extract. Some websites selling gelatinized maca are claiming that their product is actually up to 6 times more concentrated then regular maca. Unfortunately, this cannot be so. Such a value can only be obtained in extract ( spray dried ) or in freeze dried form and gelatinized maca is neither. The error made is in believing that the starch in gelatinized maca has been removed and hence it becomes more concentrated. Starches are broken down and made more readily absorbable in gel form but they are not removed. As such, a 6 times increase in concentration as some websites claim cannot be possible. Remember, gelatinized maca is a whole food with its starch chains ruptured to make it easier to assimilate... the starches are not removed.

Solubility - Another advantage of gelatinized maca is its solubility. Gelatinized maca becomes more soluble in liquid due to the large number of hydrogen links generated during the conversion of starches in the process of gelatinization. People will therefore find it easier to mix gelatinized maca in their favorite drinks and smoothies.

One final important point of differentiation that we would like to make between gelatinized maca and regular maca powder is in the processes involved in elimination of any microorganisms and pathogens.  All our regular macas undergo a strict process of selection, washing and biodegradable disinfecting. Since gelatinization is a thermal and high pressure process, the elimination of microbes occurs naturally. The powder is  sterilized in a natural and safe form due to the heat and extrusion process. No other steps are necessary.

As a Note:
Many companies responsible for the production of Maca powder in Peru may not actually be processing their macas properly. Companies that do not have the infrastructure for these processes, do not disinfect the raw material because organic biodegradable disinfectant products that are needed are often expensive.  As a result, they cannot lower the microbiological levels and usually must solve this problem by irradiating their macas at the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy (IPEN). Some markets such as the Japanese have actually restricted imports of any irradiated Maca into their country. 

Rest assured all Earth Notions maca products are not irradiated in any way. Our commitment is to the highest quality. We make sure of this.