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Chapter 4
Fiber

Dietary Fiber & Functional Fiber

• Dietary fiber
• Nondigestible carbs & lignin that are intact &
intrinsic in plants
• Can include digestion-resistant starches
• Found in diet, reported
• Functional fiber
• Nondigestible carbs that are isolated, extracted,
or manufactured & known to have physiological
benefits

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Fiber and Plants

• >95% of fibers from cell wall
• Primary wall – all plants
• Secondary wall – compressional strength
• Fiber-related components
• Cellulose
• Hemicellulose
• Lignin
• Pectins

Chemistry & Characteristics of Dietary &

Functional Fibers

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Cellulose
• Dietary & functional fiber
• Long, linear polymer of  1-4 linked glucose units
• Main component of plant cell walls
• Insoluble but can be chemically altered
• Sources: bran, legumes, nuts, peas, root vegetables, cabbage family,
outer covering of seeds, apples

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Hemicellulose
• Dietary fiber
• Heterogenous group of polysaccharide substances
• Sugars in backbone & side chains
• Xylose, mannose, galactose (backbone)
• Arabinose, glucoronic acid, galactose (side chains)
• Sources: bran, whole grains, nuts, legumes, some vegetables & fruits

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Pectins
• Dietary & functional fiber
• Complex group of polysaccharides called galacturonoglycans
• Backbone = galacturonic acid
• Cell wall & middle lamella in plants
• Water-soluble, gel-forming
• Sources: apples, strawberries, citrus

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Lignin
• Dietary & functional fiber
• Highly-branched polymer composed of phenol units with strong
bonding
• Insoluble in water, generally poorly fermented by colonic bacteria
• Production of phytoestrogens
• Structural components of plants - found in stems, seeds, bran layer
• Sources: wheat, mature root vegetables, fruits with edible seeds

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Gums (Hydrocolloids)
• Dietary & functional fibers
• Group of substances secreted at site of plant injury
• Tree exudates: gum arabic, gum karaya, gum ghatti
• Shrub exudate: gum tragacanth
• Composed of sugars & derivatives
• Sources: oatmeal, barley, legumes

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-Glucans
• Dietary & functional fibers
• Homopolymers of glucopyranose units
• Water-soluble, highly fermentable
• Sources: cereal brans, especially oats & barley

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Fructans – Inulin, Oligofructose, &

Fructooligosaccharides
• Dietary fibers
• Fructose units in chains of varying length
• Prebiotics
• Sources: chicory, asparagus, onions, garlic, artichokes, tomatoes,
bananas

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Resistant Starch
• Starch that cannot be digested or absorbed by humans
• Types
• RS1 - plant cell walls
• RS2 - ungelatinized starch granules
• RS3 - retrograde starch from cooking & cooling or extruding foods
• RS4 - chemically modified starch
• RS1 & RS2 = dietary fibers, RS3 & RS4 = functional fibers

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Chitin & Chitosan

• Chitin
• Amino-polysaccharide polymer containing  1-4 linked glucose
units
• Cells walls of some lower plants
• Insoluble
• Chitosan
• Deacetylated form of chitin
• Polysaccharide made of glucosamine
& N-acetyl glucosamine

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Psyllium
• Functional fiber
• Mucilage from husk of psyllium seeds
• High water binding capacity and provides viscosity
• Used as laxative
• Must ingest plenty of fluids
• Label must state to ingest fluid to prevent choking or if individual has
problems swallowing

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Selected Properties & Physiological Effects of

Fiber
• Important properties include:
• Solubility in water
• Water-holding capacity & viscosity
• Adsorption or binding ability
• Degradability/fermentability

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Solubility in Water
• Classifications:
• Soluble - dissolve in hot water
• Insoluble
• Water-soluble: some hemicelluloses, pectin, gums, -glucans,
psyllium, fructans
• Water-insoluble: cellulose, lignin, some hemicelluloses, chitosan,
chitin

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Solubility in Water
• Soluble
• Delay gastric emptying
• Increase transit time
• Decrease nutrient absorption
• Insoluble
• Decrease transit time
• Increase fecal bulk

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Fiber Dietary/Functional Components/Structu Soluble/Insoluble Other

re
Cellulose Both Glucose chains - b(1- Insoluble
4)
Hemicellulose Dietary Fermentable sugars Varies
Pectin Both Galacturonic acid Soluble Gelatin substitute
Lignin Both Phenols Insoluble Phytoestrogens
Gum Both Tree/shrub exudates Soluble Hydrocolloid
β-glucans Both (1-4)/(1-3) linkages Soluble
Fructans Dietary Fructose chains Soluble Prebiotics
Resistant Starch 1,2-Dietary, 3,4-Func Starch embedded in Varies
cellulose

Chitin Functional Glucose chains - b(1- Insoluble Shellfish, insects

4)
Psyllium Functional Mucilage from seeds Soluble Laxative, choking
hazard

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Soluble Fiber
• Delayed (slowed) gastric emptying
• Reduced mixing of gastrointestinal contents with digestive enzymes
• Reduced enzyme function
• Decreased nutrient diffusion rate--attenuation of the blood glucose
response
• Altered small intestine transit time

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Adsorption or Binding Ability

• Diminished absorption of lipids
• Increased fecal bile acid excretion
• Lowered serum cholesterol concentrations (hypocholesterolemic
properties)
• Altered mineral, carotenoid and phytochemical absorption

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Degradability/Fermentability

Fermentable fibers
✓Prebiotics
✓Short-chain fatty acid generation
✓Increased water/sodium absorption in the colon
✓Mucosal cell differentiation and proliferation
✓Acidification of luminal environment
✓Provision of energy

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Degradability/Fermentability
• Fermentable, continued…
✓Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis
✓Improved colonic blood flow
✓Enhanced immune function

• Nonfermentable fibers
• Detoxification
• Increased fecal volume (bulk)

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Short Chain Fatty Acids

• Byproducts of fermentation of fiber by gut bacteria
• Propionate, Butyrate, Acetate
• Suppress appetite, increase energy expenditure, increase insulin
regulation

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Roles of Soluble Fiber in Disease Prevention &

Management
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Lower cholesterol and lower BP
• Diabetes
• Improved glycemic control and insulin sensitivity
• Hypoglycemic & hypolipidemic effects of soluble fibers
• Obesity and weight control
• Fiber rich foods have lower energy density and higher volume which can
promote satiety
• May impact satiety inducing hormones

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Roles of Fiber in Disease Prevention &

Management
• Inadequate intake related to diverticular disease, colon cancer and
constipation
• Consume diet rich in insoluble fiber

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Health Claims and Food Labels

Fruits, vegetables, or grain products
• low in fat and a good source of dietary fiber without fortification
• Fruits and vegetables high in Vitamins C or A

Oat bran
• Allowable claims:
1. “May reduce the risks of some types of cancers”
2. “May reduce the risk of heart disease”

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Recommended Fiber Intake

• Dietary Guidelines
• 14 g of fiber per 1000 kcal intake
• Adequate Intakes established on amounts shown to protect against
heart disease
• No TUL established
• >50g/day generally considered excessive

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