dextrinisation

• when starchy foods such as bread or biscuits are cooked with dry heat, eg toasting or baking, the starch molecules in the food break down into smaller molecules called dextrins
• the breakdown is called dextrinisation and it gives food a browner colour and crispier texture as well as a different taste
• the longer the food is cooked, the more starch is converted into dextrin and the darker and crispier the food becomes