Dietary fibre basics: Health, nutrition, analysis, and applications

Over the past decades, dietary fibre (DF) has been well studied with abundant evidence on its health benefits. Advances in nutritional studies always lead the way followed by the food applications. Food scientists and technologists then explored the applications of DF in a variety of food products through examination and utilization of fibres from various conventional and uncommon sources including agro-food processing by-products. However, the current intake levels of fibre and fibrerich foods are still far below recommended values in most nations worldwide. In addition, research is needed to substantiate different mechanistic effects of intrinsic, intact fibres presented originally in the food matrix and the isolated, refined fibre added back to the novel food products. Standardized quantification methods for DF are needed for various reasons including broad range of sources, complicated chemical structures, and ever-changing definitions from various regulatory bodies. On the other hand, there are more consumer demands for clean labels or precise information on daily values (DV%), alongside more restricted regulations for certain nutritional claims such as 'high fibre'. It is clear that all these demands create a practical pressure on professionals working in the food industry, particularly at quality assurance (QA) positions, on how to obtain reliable data from DF analysis to meet regulatory and labelling requirements. Fortunately, with the most recent Codex definition and advanced instruments that are capable to automate the analytical procedures and produce consistent results, it is foreseeable that global harmonization on DF studies can be achieved. Meanwhile, advanced processing technologies such as dry fractionation, enzymatic conversion, and micronization present promising opportunities for R&D professionals to advance the DF utilization and applications in functional food development.