Dietary fibre is of interest to both science and industry, and yet despite growing awareness of its benefits to health and nutrition, intakes remain below the recommended level. Industry has responded by developing new applications, products and processes to help consumers increase their fibre intake in a convenient way.
While regulations on health claims are being developed for example in the EU, some countries have allowed the use of health claims to help promote consumer awareness of the benefits of a higher fibre intake, and to inform consumers of good sources of fibre.
At the same time science is developing the concept of dietary fibre. The mechanisms and actual components behind the physiological effects are of particular interest, and so are the analytical tools to measure these.
The fate of dietary fibre in the gut, where certain fibre components are fermented and converted by microbes gains a great deal of attention. The role of molecular weight and viscosity of dietary fibre components in determining the health benefits are also discussed.
Table of Contents
• Preface • Dietary fibre or whole grains or both? • Chemical structure and function of cell walls through cereal grains and
vegetable samples • The role of ß-glucan in barley • Factors affecting bioactivity of cereal ß-glucans • Physical state of soluble oat fibre and health claims • Rheology and physiology of soluble fibres: what are the relationships
and what use can be made of them? • The fate of ß-glucan during bread-making • Size exclusion liquid chromatographic determination of modified nonstarch polysaccharide as dietary fibre • Metabolic conversions of dietary carbohydrates by gut microbes • In vitro fermentation of fibre fractions from barley using human infant faeces as inoculum • Butyrylated resistant starches and the influence of cooking on amylolysis in vitro and short chain fatty acids in vivo • Molecular weight of guar gum affects short-chain fatty acid profile in vitro • Lignans and other co-passengers • Rye and other natural cereal fibres enhance the production and plasma concentrations of enterolactone and butyrate • Interrelationships between carbohydrate type, phenolic acids and initial pH on in vitro conversion of enterolactone from rye lignans • Inulin and oligofructose: their effects on mineral absorption and bone health - a review on recent studies • Inulin for product development of low GI products to support weight management • Acacia gum, the natural multifunctional fibre • Fermentation of bran as a tool to improve quality of high fibre wheat bread • A dietary portfolio containing viscous fibre in the control of serum cholesterol • The effects of resistant maltodextrin on blood glucose, insulin and triacylglyceride levels, and fat accumulation after meal feeding in humans • Summary of dietary fibre methods workshop June 11, 2006, Helsinki, Finland • Keyword index