Fiber Makes Food and Beverages Better (and Healthier)

by Susan Colebank

A person's average fiber intake is reported to be 11 g/d.1 However, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) posted recommendations in early 2002 that fiber intake at levels of 25 g/d for women and 38 g/d for men are required for optimal health. Considering the large discrepancy between what people are consuming and what they should be consuming,it is no wonder that the prevalence of such health conditions as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer are at an all-time high. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that there are many varieties of fiber ingredients in today's market targeted for food and beverage applications.

A Quick Byte on Fiber's Health Benefits

Fiber is not considered a nutrient, and yet it is one of the most important food components listed on ingredient panels. Dietary fiber consists of structural and storage polysaccharides and lignin, which are not digestible in the human stomach or small intestine. According to the American Association of Cereal Chemists, "dietary fiber" is defined as the edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the human small intestine and that are completely or partially fermented in the large intestine. However, "added fiber" consists of isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiological effects in humans.

Fiber is broken into two segments: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber includes gums, mucilages, pectin and some hemicelluloses, as well as psyllium seed. Insoluble fiber includes cellulose, lignin and hemicelluloses, in addition to wheat bran.

Fiber protects against various types of cancer, including colon,2 rectal3 and breast.4 This nutraceutical may also protect against duodenal ulcers5 and play a role in weight management; not only do high-fiber foods lead to feelings of satiety faster than low-fiber diets, but they also have fewer calories.6 Fiber also promotes regularity and prevents constipation,7 in addition to controlling or lowering blood sugar8 (a plus in the fight against diabetes) and cholesterol9 levels. In terms of cholesterol--for which fiber has the most prestigious benefits--fiber binds to bile acids, which are made up of cholesterol, and carries them from the body via waste. Research indicates that fiber changes the composition of bile acids created from LDL cholesterol in the liver--a situation that slows cholesterol synthesis in the same vein as statin drugs.

In fact, these heart-health benefits are what made fiber into what it is today--a valuable food ingredient that even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to recognize with its own heart-health claim.

"Several dietary fiber sources lower blood cholesterol levels, specifically that fraction transported by LDL," stated the American Dietetic Association (ADA) in a position statement published in 2002.10 "Two of these fibers--namely beta-glucan in oats and psyllium husk--have been sufficiently studied for FDA to authorize a health claim ... [and] are specifically included in the most recent National Cholesterol Education Program [NCEP] American Heart Association guidelines."

In the meantime, consumers are becoming aware of fiber and all of its health benefits. Earlier this year, a new survey commissioned by Somerset, N.J.-based Nutrinova Inc. indicated nearly all surveyed consumers consider fiber to be healthy--in fact, a resounding 98 percent of the 300 American adults surveyed felt this way. And, in a recent survey released by the Harleysville, Pa.-based Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), 60 percent of consumers said they would most likely use foods to prevent high cholesterol levels and heart disease.

The Breakdown of Fiber

With all of the good health news continuously springing up about fiber, it is not surprising that manufacturers are offering a wide assortment of fibers for use in various food and beverage applications.

First off, it is hard to have a discussion on fiber without mentioning oat bran--the fiber that originally got a lot of attention when FDA released its heart-health claim. Even consumers are taking note of this fiber: NMI recently reported that 54 percent of adult consumers equate oats with heart-health benefits, more so than any other product.

In particular, oat beta-glucan, a natural polymer of water-soluble fiber, has been found to support cardiovascular health by lowering blood cholesterol levels. Beta-glucan is found also in barley, yeast and fungi, but these sources have not been qualified to carry the heart-health claim.

Nurture Inc., in Devon, Pa., offers OatVantage™, an oat bran concentrated to 50-percent beta-glucan. It is free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), is kosher-certified, and is suitable for gluten- and wheat-free diets. One serving (1.5 grams) delivers .75 grams of beta-glucan, which enables the ingredient--and the products it goes into--to carry FDA's heart-health claim (snack dose).
In terms of food and beverage applications, soluble oat fiber has fat mimetic properties that can enhance mouthfeel and possibly even the finished product's sweetness. It is also appropriate for opaque liquids, semi-solid foods and beverages, and functional foods.

OatVantage, in particular, is inherently stable but should not be used in high shear environments, such as a homogenizer, so as not to impair the fiber's viscosity--a feature associated with fiber's heart-health benefits. "Oat beta-glucan is virtually the only palatable viscous fiber source that is available," said Greg Stephens, R.D., vice president of sales and marketing at Nurture. "Turbidity in beverages can occur at higher doses of beta-glucan. However, at lower dosages, turbidity is generally resolved by more thorough mixing and solubilization."

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a soluble fiber with prebiotic effects. One such FOS is Golden, Colo.-based GTC Nutrition LLC's NutraFlora®. A 95-percent pure, short-chain FOS, it is fermentable, leading to beneficial bacterial strains in the gut that include Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. This FOS, through its effects on beneficial bacteria, produces short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, acetate and propionate, which nourish and strengthen the gut wall, increase mineral absorption and mediate immune function. Interestingly, colon cells prefer butyrate as an energy source, a preference that helps to improve gut integrity and cell differentiation, possibly protecting against colon cancer. Also, acetate can be converted to butyrate.

Other health benefits attached to FOS include strengthening the immune system, improving mineral absorption, aiding regularity, lowering cholesterol and possibly alleviating digestive ailments such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Application-wise, NutraFlora® provides a clean flavor profile that is 30 percent as sweet as sugar, and has 1.5 kcal/g and no glycemic interactions.

In terms of food benefits, NutraFlora enhances flavors and aromas, acts as a humectant to keep chewy products soft, gives low-fat foods better mouthfeel and has a good shelf-life. According to GTC, this ingredient is the only FDA-reviewed GRAS FOS on the market

Inulin is another soluble fiber, as well as a prebiotic. This carbohydrate is present in thousands of plants and has a zero glycemic index, which makes it a good choice for diabetic applications. It also reportedly increases the body's absorption of minerals, particularly calcium.

On the food and beverage application side, inulin can be used in beverages, baked goods, frozen desserts, meats and dairy products. It is low-calorie (1.5 kcal/g) and can be used as a bulking agent, a texturizer, a flavor-masker and -enhancer, and a fat-replacer.
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