Wikipedia
alpha-Cyclodextrin (α-dextrin, α-cyclodextrin, α-CD, alphadextrin, alpha cyclodextrin (dietary fiber)) is a polysaccharide of six glucose units that are covalently attached end to end via α-1, 4 linkages. This fiber is sold under the brand names, "Alpha-Fibe" and "Calorease". Alpha-Fibe is the original product that contains this unique fiber, introduced to the worldwide nutritional supplement market by Bio-Form Essentials in 2007. Soho Flordis International became the patent Assignee as of March 30, 2012 and launched the brand Calorease in 2013.
FBCx is not an ingredient, only an abbreviation, and is not part of the scientific name. The abbreviation FBCx, stands for "Fat Binding Complexer" and can be associated with the brand names, "Alpha-Fibe" and "Calorease". There are two other naturally occurring cyclodextrins, β (beta) - and γ (gamma) -, which contain seven and eight glucose units respectively. In water, these fibers take on a toroid or truncated cone configuration. In aqueous medium, the exterior surface of cyclodextrins is hydrophilic while the interior core is hydrophobic. This allows for the formation of guest-host relationships with small hydrophobic molecules. McGowan et al., for example, demonstrated that α-cyclodextrin was very effective at solubilizing the free fatty acids that are generated in the colorimetric determination of triglycerides. Shimada et al. have demonstrated that at an oil:water interface α-cyclodextrin “threads” onto fatty acids in a manner analogous to threading beads onto a string. According to these authors, the number of cyclodextrin molecules per fatty acid appears to be dependent upon the length of the fatty acids that are involved. Due to the small pore size it was generally believed that α-cyclodextrin could not form a complex with triglyceride. However, Artiss et al. demonstrated that α-cyclodextrin could complex triglyceride and at ratios that are significantly different from the 1:1 that is typical for dietary fibers. The ratio for α-cyclodextrin is actually closer to 1:9 (fiber:fat ratio). Trichard et al. have demonstrated that α-cyclodextrin and soybean oil can form porous beads that may find utility in delivering water-insoluble pharmaceuticals.