Dietary Fiber (Psyllium, Beta-Glucan)

FIGUEROA, LILIAN; DELLO STAFFOLO, MARINA

Encyclopedia of Food Chemistry

Elsevier

Año: 2018;

β-glucans and psyllium are recognized as functional and bioactive ingredients and they are included in the complex dietary fiber group.Β-glucans are found in bacteria, edible mushrooms, yeast and grains, such as oat, barley, rye, and wheat (Mitmesser and Combs, 2017). Itcan be purchased like a food additive (VITACEL® Oat Fibre, Germany) or it can be extracted from above-mentioned sources for scientificstudies. Psyllium is a term used to designate both plantago plants and a mucilaginous material prepared from seed husks of Plantago genusincluding Plantago ovata, Plantago psyllium, Plantago indica, etc., which grow in certain temperate and subtropical regions (Yu et al.,2008; Cui and Roberts, 2009). It has a long history of use as a dietary fiber supplement to promote the regulation of large bowel function,and the reduction of blood cholesterol levels (Fischer et al., 2004). It can be acquired alone (as particles or powder form, Frontier, USA) oraccompanied by other additives like sucrose (Metamucil?, USA). Nowadays, β-glucans and psyllium are employed by the food industryand are studied by the world research community in several fields of science (chemistry, food science, nutrition, medicine, materialsscience, microbiology, etc.).The basic structures of β-glucans and psyllium are known from past decades. However, small variations, continue to be reported yearafter year. From a functional point of view, β-glucans and psyllium are soluble in water and they are form gels. Accordingly, they couldclassify as viscous soluble fibers (Dello Staffolo et al., 2012). Jenkins et al. (1986) mentioned the term viscous soluble fiber in their worksabout fibers and health benefits. Then, several researchers advance in this topic (McRorie and McKeown, 2017). β-glucans and psylliumdiffer in that the first is a single chemical substance, while psyllium is a mixture of chemical substances since it is the yield of seed milling.β-glucan and psyllium have been utilized in food industry owing to their health benefits and technological properties. This is consistentwith the global trend in creating healthy foods, also called functional foods, to incorporate into the diet of consumers who are concernedabout reducing diseases and/or improving their life quality.