ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Determining the available energy (caloric value) of dietary non-digestible fibers that are fermented to varying degrees by intestinal microbes and metabolized to short chain fatty acids is important for provision of accurate information to food and beverage manufacturers for reformulation and labeling purposes. The objective of this human study was to determine the available energy of soluble fiber products by measuring post consumption breath hydrogen, with inulin as a control. METHODS: PROMITOR® Soluble Corn Fiber 70 (SCF70) and PROMITOR® Soluble Corn Fiber 85B (SCF85B) are Tate & Lyle dietary fiber products with 70% and 85% fiber, respectively. The fiber portion of these products is structurally representative of the fiber portion of all PROMITOR® SCF products. The study conducted was a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. Breath hydrogen was quantified following consumption of beverages consisting of 8 oz. of water and: inulin (control), SCF70, or SCF85B at 5, 10, or 15 g (total ingredient weight, "as is"). Subjects were generally healthy men and women (N = 19), age 18 to 34 years, with body mass index (BMI) 19.3 to 24.8 kg/m2. The primary outcome was incremental area under the curve over 10 h (iAUC0-10 h) for inulin, SCF70, and SCF85B at each dose. The available energy (kcal/g ingredient and kcal/g fiber) from SCF70 and SCF85B at each dose was then calculated using inulin as the reference. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that breath hydrogen production was significantly lower following consumption of SCF70 and SCF85B compared to inulin at all consumption amounts. There were no significant differences in breath hydrogen production following consumption of SCF70 compared to SCF85B. CONCLUSION: The available energy per gram of fiber was not significantly different between the SCF70 and SCF85B PROMITOR® products. The available energy of the fiber portion of PROMITOR® SCF products was determined to be 0.2 kcal/gram.
Subject(s)
Dietary Fiber , Inulin , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Over Studies , Double-Blind Method , Fatty Acids, Volatile , Female , Humans , Male , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of inulin in foods as a fiber source has increased recently. Consumption of inulin products can cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Acceptable intakes of inulin need to be determined. OBJECTIVE: To determine the GI tolerance of two inulin fibers, shorter chain length oligofructose and native inulin, at 5- and 10-g doses compared to a placebo. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, controlled, crossover design that included a phone screening and five visits for breakfast fiber challenges consisting of a bagel, cream cheese, and orange juice. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Twenty-six healthy men and women ages 18 to 60 years participated in the study. Healthy subjects with no history of GI conditions consumed diets with typical amounts of fiber. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: GI tolerance was calculated as the sum of scores on seven GI tolerance domains via questionnaire administered at t=0, 2, 4, 24, and 48 hours following fiber challenge. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: A mixed effects linear model was used to compare the tolerance scores among the five fiber challenges. RESULTS: The two inulin fibers tended to increase GI symptoms mildly. Most frequently reported symptoms were flatulence followed by bloating. The 10-g dose of oligofructose substantially increased GI symptoms compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: Doses up to 10 g/day of native inulin and up to 5 g/day of oligofructose were well-tolerated in healthy, young adults.
