DIETARY FIBER &

PREBIOTICS
Dietary Fiber (DF) definition
• no single definition for dietary fiber that is accepted worldwide
 Compounds that are resistant to be hydrolyzed and digested, hence
subjected to bacterial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract and thus
impact the composition of bacterial communities as well as microbial
metabolic activities, including the production of fermentative end products.
• As a result of the dietary fibre reaching the colon, there is an increase in
biomass
• associated plant substances e.g. polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, lignin
• naturally present in or extracted from food raw material, or synthesised.
Elements of definitions of dietary
fibre
• Biological or synthetic origin of the fibre.
• Chemical nature of the substances included.
• Minimum degree of polymerisation of the carbohydrate polymers.
• Resistance to hydrolysis (digestion) by the enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Reference to fermentability in the colon, including short chain fatty acid
production and associated physiological effects, such as reduction of toxic stool
components, mineral absorption, prebiotic properties.
• Reference to other measurable physiological properties, such as laxative or
metabolic effects (e.g. reduction in blood cholesterol or blood glucose or insulin
levels)
DF of Physiologic Properties
1. Slows transit in small bowel
2. Increases stool bulk
3. Holds on to water
4. Forms gels
5. Binds minerals and organic substances
6. Stimulates bacterial growth
7. Metabolized to SCFA
Type of DF
1) Soluble DF
• dissolve in water
• forming viscous gels
• in general are more readily fermented and are earlier in the colon
• e.g Inulin, oligofructose, pectin
2) Insoluble DF
• not water soluble, do not form gels and their fermentation is severely limited.
• not acted on or fermented in the colon.
• provides no nutrition to the bacteria there.
• hold lots of water and, in so doing, helps to get a softer, more regular bowel movement
• e.g Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin
• Insoluble DF divided into: fermentable and non-fermentable
• Non-fermentable insoluble fiber  known primarily as a bulking
agent, and consuming adequate insoluble fiber keeps people regular.
• Fermentable insoluble fiber — such as resistant starch —produces the
same healthy gasses and acids in the large intestine that soluble fiber
does
Constituents of DF
• Non-Starch
primarily of carbohydrate polymers
(non-starch polysaccharides) that are
components of plant cell walls
• Analogous non-digestible
carbohydrates
pass through the small intestine
unchanged but are fermented in the
large intestine should also be included
• Associated substances
Resistant starch-RS
• starch’s ability to resist digestion, not absorbed in the small intestine
• Instead, it passes to the large intestine where it produces the same effects of
soluble and insoluble fibers
• help people stay fuller longer because they are not as easily digested
• helps people burn fat
Class of RS
• The resistant starch content
of a food may change
during storage, depending
on temperature and water
content, and during food
preparation.
Benefits of Dietary Fiber
• The human body breaks down these carbohydrates into a gelatinous, viscous
byproduct that the large intestine turns into gasses and acids that encourage the
growth of beneficial bacteria in the lower gut.
• Intake of greater than 25 to 35 gm/day associated with:
1., Promote blood cholesterol attenuation, and/ or blood glucose attenuation
2. Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease and Hyperlipidemia Control
3. Decrease Stroke in Males
4. Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes
5. Treatment of Dietary Constipation, promote laxation
7. Inverse Relationship with Colon Cancer Development
GIT fermentation
• Many DF components are partially or completely fermented by the colonic microflora
• The colon contains at least 400 anaerobic species of bacteria with total numbers of the order of
1012 per gram of colon contents
• Most of the bacteria use carbohydrates as an energy source, but not all species can degrade the
polysaccharides
• The colonic bacteria produce a wide range of enzymes subsequently producing hydrogen,
methane, carbon dioxide, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and lactate.
• The bacteria generate energy and carbon from the fermentation products.
• Therefore, dietary components that stimulate fermentation lead to an increase in the bacterial
mass (biomass) and consequently in faecal mass, that is, they have a stool bulking effect.
• It is estimated that about 30 g of bacteria are produced for every 100 g of carbohydrate that is
fermented.
• The process of fermentation can be described as an interaction where bacteria obtain
the substrates that they need for growth from the host and return their by-products of
their metabolism.
• the two main types of anaerobic fermentation in the colon that are carried out in the
gut are proteolytic and saccharolytic
• the latter being more dominant.
• The bacteria in the colon can synthesize many different types of saccharolytic enzymes
(e.g. polysaccharidases, glucosidases) and are able to degrade polymerized
carbohydrates
• The end-product of fermentation is pyruvate, which is further converted to short chain
fatty acids (SCFA), principally acetate, propionate and butyrate.
• SCFA act to lower the colonic pH  inhibit the growth of pathogenic organisms
SCFA
• The reduced pH creates an unfavourable environment that impedes the
growth of certain harmful bacterial species, while encouraging the growth of
health-promoting genres
• Acetate, propionate and butyrate are rapidly absorbed in different regions in
the colon into the portal blood and about 10-15% are excreted with feces
• Acetate, the principal SCFA in the colon, is used as a fuel for muscle tissues, the
heart and the brain
• Butyrate is provides the cells of the intestine with a metabolic fuel and may be
a protective factor for the health of these cells
• Predominantly butyrate enlarges the mineral absorption and in addition the
low pH dissolves insoluble mineral salts
Prebiotic
• selectively fermented ingredients (non digested ones) that induce the
growth of probiotic organism
• result in selective stimulation in the composition and/or activity of the
gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefit(s) upon host
health
• Classified as soluble fiber that can be consumed and fermented by gut
flora
Type of prebiotics
• These type of soluble fibers are:
1. Polysaccharides: e.g Inulin and oligofructose.
2. Oligosaccharides: e.g Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharides
(GOS), Other oligosaccharides.
 Polysaccarides
(Inulins and Oligofructose)

• Inulins belong to a class of dietary fibers known as

fructans.
• Inulins are a group of soluble fibers naturally produced by Innulin
Fructose polymer B2-1

many types of plants, industrially extracted from chicory. DP 60

• Oligofructose belongs to a subgroup of inulin. It's found

in various vegetables and plants, including onions,
bananas, garlic, chicory and wheat

Oligo fructose Fructose

polymer B2-1
DP 10
 Oligosaccharides
• Oligosaccharides are important group of polymeric carbohydrates
that are found in all living organisms.
• Oligosaccharides composed of 3 to 20 mono-saccharide residues.
• These mono-saccharide's linked together by glycoside bonds.
• Low sweetness intensity (1/3 of sucrose)
• Highly soluble than sucrose
• Resistance to hydrolise by digestive enzyme
• Hydrolize in high acid environment

19
PREBIOTICS: GOOD Bacteria:
Food for Good Bacteria Existing or Probiotics

Digestion-resistant

Bacterial
fermentation
provides SCFA etc
that benefit the gut
HAPPY HEALTHY GUT!!!
Characteristics of an ideal prebiotics

• It should not be hydrolyzed or absorbed in the upper part of G.I. tract.

• It should be a selective substrate for one or a limited number of potentially
bacterial commercial to the colon culture protagonist.
• It should be able to alter the colonic micro flora towards a healthier
composition or selectively stimulates the growth and/or activity of intestinal
bacteria associated with health and well being.
• It should help in increasing the absorption of certain minerals such as calcium
and magnesium.
• It should or may have a favorable effect on the immune system and provide
improved resistance against infection.
 Synbiotics
• Synbiotic = Probiotic + Prebiotic
The concept of synbiotics has been proposed to
characterize health-enhancing foods and supplements used
as functional food ingredients in humans
Potential synergy between pro- & prebiotics

Improve survival in upper GIT

More efficient implantation

Stimulating effect of Probiotics

Concept of Probiotics and
Prebiotics:
Some of the major health benefits of synbiotics:

• Improved survival of live bacteria in food products, prolonged shelf life,

• Increased number of ingested bacteria reaching the colon in a viable form
• Stimulation in the colon of the growth and implantation of both exogenous
and endogenous bacteria
• Activation of metabolism of beneficial bacteria, antagonistic toward
pathogenic bacteria
• Production of antimicrobial substances (bacteriocins , hydrogen peroxide,
organic acids etc)
• Immunostimulation
• Anti-inflammatory, Anti-mutagenic, Anti-carcinogenic, and production of
bioactive compounds (enzymes, vaccines, peptides etc)