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.

Sensus America LLC (formerly Imperial Sensus), based in Monmouth Junction, N.J., extracts its GRAS, non-GMO inulin from chicory roots and offers a wide range of products catered to different applications. Its products include Frutafit HD and IQ, which come in powder form; Frutalose, which is a liquid form FOS; Frutafit CLR, which is ideal for clear beverages and water-based products; and Frutafit TEX, a long-chain, sugar-free inulin with good gelling and texturing properties.

"Chain length and distribution of the chains and how branched the inulin is all have significant influence on the food system of choice," said Bryan Tungland, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Sensus America. "For example, a nutrition bar's blend of various chain lengths helps develop the structure of the bar and also influences the bar's shelf-life by providing humectance." Tungland said it is also important to know the pH of an application using inulin ingredients, since those having a pH less than 3.8 can result in inulin breakdown after several months of storage at room temperature.

In the heart-health arena, inulin can carry a structure/function claim, such as "inulin helps maintain a healthy cholesterol level."

An additional ingredient in the fiber family is digestion-resistant maltodextrin. One such example of this ingredient is Fibersol-2, which is well-suited for beverages and foods of all types: drinks (i.e., dry, aseptic, dairy, soy and sports); dry mixes (i.e., baked goods and meal replacements); functional foods (i.e., energy bars and reduced-, low- or non-fat foods); dairy products (i.e., cup yogurts, sour cream and low- or reduced-fat ice creams); cereals; sweeteners; snack foods; baked goods; and processed meats.

Fibersol-2 is a water-soluble dietary fiber compatible with the definition of dietary fiber proposed by the American Association of Cereal Chemists and the definition of total fiber as proposed by the National Academy of Sciences. The product is fat free and has 4 kcal/g. It is also considered a prebiotic, and is stable when in acid, heat, retort and freezing conditions--eliminating potential shelf-life issues such as loss of dietary fiber content or changes in taste, look or mouthfeel in the finished product. It is also certified kosher and parve, as well as approved for FOSHU in Japan.

Fibersol-2 is a sprayed-dried powder produced by the pyrolysis and controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch, and is 90-plus-percent water-soluble fiber. Easily dispersible in water, it produces a soluble, clear solution with no inherent flavor. Fibersol-2 has very low viscosity, improves the body/texture of a food and has low hygroscopicity.

Fibersol-2 works by partially fermenting in the large intestine, and fractions not utilized are excreted. The ingredient has been shown to reduce serum blood glucose and insulin levels, which may benefit diabetics, dieters and exercisers. And, because it is a prebiotic, it promotes beneficial bacteria in the colon.

However, do the health benefits get lost if the fiber is taken in a dietary supplement versus a functional beverage? "The form of the finished food in which Fibersol-2 is delivered, such as a beverage or nutrition bar, does impact the nutritional efficacy of the ingredient," said Steve Young, Ph.D., technical advisor to Matsutani America. "However, this is true of all nutrients, such as protein, fat and carbs, and is also affected by the amount and type of other nutrients in the foods, the conditions under which the food is consumed and the nutritional state of the individual consumer. So far, the nutritional benefits of Fibersol-2 stand out in most applications."

Fibersol-2, like other purified fibers, is not compatible with government-allowed health claims, but it can carry nutrient content claims and/or appropriately worded structure/function claims.

And who knew that chocolate really could be good for one's health? Well, not chocolate, necessarily, but carob (Ceratonia siliqua). From carob pulp, an insoluble dietary fiber with antioxidant activity was born--Caromax from Somerset, N.J.-based Nutrinova Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Celanese AG. With application in bakery products, cereals, snacks and health bars, this fiber's health benefits lie in its lignins and polyphenols. A recent study presented in Scotland indicated that a diet enriched with Caromax had a positive impact on cholesterol levels. And, when using Trolox Equivalent Antioxidative Capacity (TEAC) methodology, researchers found that the carob-derived fiber was a superior antioxidant in comparison to wheat or oat bran.

The fiber's free-radical fighting abilities also translate into benefits for product shelf-life, since the ingredient helps to inhibit fat oxidation, leading to a shelf-life of up to two years. Because of its water-binding capacity, Caromax can extend the shelf-life of baked goods by reducing the incidence of staleness and inhibiting microbiological growth. In baked goods applications, Caromax can reduce the stickiness of the dough, which may make the dough suitable for automated industrial production. With a dietary fiber content of approximately 80 percent, Caromax contains 40 kcal to 60 kcal per 100 grams of fiber.

Fiber from flaxseed is another possibility when choosing an ingredient for a line of food or beverage products. The fibrous portion of the flaxseed is found within the outer layers of the seed, especially in its hull, which is rich in soluble and insoluble fibers, lignan phytoestrogens (found to benefit cancer, osteoporosis and, of course, heart disease), and antioxidants. Flaxseed also is high in healthy omega-3 oils, which are susceptible to oxidation if not adequately protected. Angusville, Manitoba-based Pizzey's Milling takes this into account with its flaxseed, guaranteeing a minimum of a one-year shelf-life at room temperature for its ingredients.

Milled flaxseed is a light-brown meal similar in texture to wheat bran. Pizzey's reported that milled flaxseed can replace some of the oil used in baked goods; be used as a substitute for eggs in recipes; be used as a stabilizer, similar to gum arabic; and extend shelf-life due to its water-binding properties. It is also stable in virtually all processing conditions that Pizzey's has examined, including homogenization, pasteurization, baking and extrusion.

Pizzey's ingredient line includes the milled flaxseed BevGrad, formulated for liquid and semi-liquid products, and FortiGrad, a flaxseed fiber that contains a high concentration of soluble fiber (30 percent), enabling it to be used in high-moisture food and beverage products.

The company offers milled whole-grain flaxseed and flaxseed fiber in powder form. However, in this form, it is important to ensure that the bulk densities of a product's ingredients are compatible with each other. This is so "that it does not lead to unforeseen sifting or dusting during the manufacturing process," said Daniel Best, marketing director at Pizzey's.

Something else to keep in mind when using multi-beneficial flaxseed fiber and milled flaxseed is that it has a relatively high level of insoluble fiber--and it binds to moisture. In certain high- or intermediate-moisture products, this can lead to competition between ingredients for available water, causing clumping, gumming or separation. "The typical solution, should this occur, is to add a compensating amount of water or to reduce the amount of the other water-binding ingredients," Best said. "Normally, the flaxseed grain will swell and suspend itself in beverages." For this reason, however, flaxseed would probably not be the first ingredient of choice to use in a clear beverage application. If a beverage's innate viscosity is insufficient to keep the flaxseed properly suspended, a manufacturer may want to add a small amount of natural vegetable gum or pectin to keep the flaxseed suspended over time. However, BevGrad does very well in opaque products, such as milk, soy milk, fruit juice beverages or smoothies.

Adding dietary fiber to a food or beverage not only betters the end product in terms of food science, but also in terms of consumer health. Armed with the knowledge of IOM's new fiber recommendations, a manufacturer would be remiss not to add fiber to a product, thereby helping individuals meet their fiber needs for the day. "As a dietitian, I know people should get fiber in their normal diet but, being realistic, that just isn't going to happen for most individuals, especially 38 g/d for men under age 50," Stephens said.

Tungland stated that a manufacturer needs to stay focused on what it wants the end product to convey. "For a manufacturer thinking of adding fiber to a food or beverage, the No. 1 question should be: 'How do I produce a product that is highly marketable in terms of claims, taste and convenience, and is high in fiber to increase my margin on the product?' Working as a partner with [fiber suppliers] in achieving these goals is paramount to success."

And as Young reported, many manufacturers seem to be on the ball in this area, developing fiber-enhanced foods and beverages that are compatible for both men's and women's diets--a win not only for expanding the reach of fiber applications, but for also improving the population's overall health.

Editor's note: For a full list of references to this story, click here