Abstract: Starches are frequently modified to promote specific physicochemical and functional properties. However, the overuse of chemical reagents is a preoccupation to the food safety. Given this, the objective of this study was to developed esterified-pyrodextrins using low concentrations of malic acid (2.5; 5.0; 7.5% w/w) by dextrinization process (150ºC/4h) from cassava and maize starches. The physicochemical, functional and structural properties of the pyrodextrins produced were investigated. The esterification was evaluated by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which identified characteristic absorption peaks in all samples treated with malic acid. The relative intensity of these peaks was highly dependent on the degree of substitution (DS) and the content of malate substituted (%MS), which increased gradually with malic acid concentration, indicating that reaction was favored by acidic medium. The esterified-pyrodextrins from maize starch presented higher susceptibility to hydrolysis, with highest values of dextrose equivalent (%DE) than esterified-pyrodextrins from cassava starch. X-ray diffractometry analysis showed that modification affected the crystalline regions of the granules by lowering the relative crystallinity (%RC) with increasing of malic acid concentration, and altered the diffraction pattern of the esterified-pyrodextrins from cassava starch, which changed from CA-type to A-type. Although still retaining part of their crystalline structure, the pyrodextrins from both sources did not present gelatinization endotherm when analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which is maybe related to the high values of water solubility index (WSI) presented by the pyrodextrins. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the granules morphology was also affected by modification, especially in samples with higher DS. Moreover, the esterified-pyrodextrins presented low viscosity at high solids contents (25% w/w), a property that the native starches do not present. The results suggest that malate pyrodextrins were synthesized and their achievement in this study represents an alternative method to produce materials with great potential for food applications.