All About Fiber

Defining Dietary Fiber

U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA)1

Dietary fiber includes certain naturally occurring fibers that are :

  1. “intrinsic and intact” in plants, 

  2. add isolated or synthetic non-digestible soluble and insoluble carbohydrates (≥ 3 monomers) that has determined have beneficial physiological effects to human health. These effects include lowering blood glucose and cholesterol levels, reduced calorie intake, and increasing the frequency of bowel movements.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

In the EU, regulation 1169/20112 on the provision of food information to consumers, defines fibre as ‘carbohydrate’ (≥ 3 monomers), which are neither digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine and belong to the following categories:

  • edible carbohydrate polymers naturally occurring in the food as consumed,
  • edible carbohydrate polymers which have been obtained from food raw material by physical, enzymatic or chemical means and which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific evidence,
  • edible synthetic carbohydrate polymers which have a beneficial physiological effect demonstrated by generally accepted scientific evidence.
*The chemical classification of carbohydrates stems from molecular size. Sugar (1-2 monomers) are digestible; most oligosaccharides (3-9 monomers) and polysaccharides (≥10 monomers) are usually non-digestible.

National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition (NCCFN), Ministry of Health Malaysia3

Total fibre is the sum of dietary fibre and functional fibre. Dietary fibre consists of nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants (i.e., the fibre naturally occurring in foods). Functional fibre consists of isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiological effects in humans. Functional fibres are either extracted from natural sources or are synthetically manufactured and added to foods, beverages and supplements.4

What is Fiber in Short?

Easy to Grasp Note

In simple terms, fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that our body cannot fully digest. It helps to regulate digestion, maintain bowel regularity, and may also provide other health benefits such as reducing cholesterol levels and promoting feelings of fullness. The FDA and EFSA define fiber as certain types of carbohydrates that have specific physiological effects in the body.

For Chemistry Lovers

The chemical structure of fiber can vary depending on the type of fiber. However, most fibers are composed of long chains of monosaccharides (simple sugars) such as glucose, fructose, and galactose, linked together by different types of chemical bonds such as beta-glycosidic bonds.

Here is an example of the chemical structure of cellulose, which is a type of fiber found in plants:

This structure shows how the monosaccharides (C5H10O5) are linked together by beta-glycosidic bonds to form long chains of cellulose.
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References

1 U.S Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/questions-and-answers-dietary-fiber#naturally_occurring_fiber

2 REGULATION (EU) No 1169/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 October 2011

3 Malaysia Dietary Guideline 2020. National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition (NCCFN), Ministry of Health Malaysia

4 USDHHS & USDA (2015). Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2015–2020). 8th ed. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

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