For a healthful diet, experts recommend that consumers ingest approximately 12 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories. They also recommend that daily intake come from a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber, because they complement each other and provide different benefits. Bakers are scrambling to meet these needs and new suppliers are offering a range of products to help.

Fibers come in two general forms. The more familiar soluble and viscous soluble fibers have many benefits, including moderating blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol. They also can replace sugars, eggs and fats/ oils, reducing cost to the baker and calories to the consumer.

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, is what previous generations called roughage or bulk–it does not absorb or dissolve in water. It passes through the digestive system without much transformation. Insoluble fiber is well known for its intestinal health benefits, including a reduction in the risk and occurrence of colorectal cancer, hemorrhoids and constipation.

Some of the newer products offer a combination or crossover between soluble and insoluble. Marc Green, senior marketing communications manager for National Starch, Bridgewater, N.J., says the research indicates different types of fibers offer different benefits– not all fibers are the same. There are three major mechanisms differentiating all fibers:

• Bulking (i.e., wheat fiber provides the most bulking for regularity)

• Viscosity (i.e., beta-glucan thickens the contents of the intestinal tract, slowing absorption of cholesterol)

• Fermentation (inulin/FOS and resistant starch are fermented)

“The benefits are dependent upon the mechanism,” he says. Rajen Mehta, Ph.D, director, fiber applications, SunOpta Ingredients, Minnetonka, Minn., agrees, stating that dietary fiber influences both nutritional value and functional characteristics of baked products. “Fiber and starch are coming together because both are carbohydrates,” he says. “First, there are the classic fibers which have the properties we have always known, such as reducing calories and adding TDF (total dietary fiber). The calorie issue is coming back with a vengeance, along with satiety in the fight against obesity. New dimensions now coming in are lowering cholesterol and warding off heart disease. Also, there is the glucose modulation for diabetics. Satiety, immunity and prevention of certain types of cancer will likely be the new frontier in three to six years–the new frontiers are exciting.”

Maintaining sensory appeal

Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), Decatur, Ill., is helping bakers add more fiber yet retain products’ critical full sensory appeal. Its resistant starch, Fibersol-2, is produced by a proprietary process that involves breaking down corn starch under heat and low pH, then enzymatically rearranging the resulting dextrins into a digestion-resistant form. The resulting digestion-resistant maltodextrin is purified and dried. It’s an off-white powder, available in both standard and agglomerated forms, which has a low viscosity in an aqueous solution, even at high concentrations, and imparts no flavors or odors.

“Using Fibersol-2, the dietary fiber content and nutritional value of practically any food product can be increased. In fact, consumers’ daily recommended value for fiber (25 grams) can be met by using Fibersol-2 digestion resistant maltodextrin in food applications,” Zach Gooding, product development scientist, says.

Kati Ledbetter, application/product development food scientist, adds that Fibersol-2 is 90 percent dietary fiber by weight and is easy to incorporate into any bakery application by using in place of or in addition to other carbohydrates.

“Since Fibersol-2 only contains 0.2 g of sugars per 10 g (dry basis, typical value), it can be used to replace sugar or high-sugar ingredients and can be used in reduced sugar, sugar-free and no-sugar-added applications,” she says. “When used in conjunction with high intensity sweeteners in these types of applications, Fibersol-2 can also improve sweet taste to become a more sugar-like flavor. Since Fibersol-2 has been shown to only contain 1.6 kcal/ gram, when used to replace 4 kcal/ gram carbohydrates in a formulation, it can also be used to achieve a total calorie reduction in baked goods.”

According to both Gooding and Ledbetter, Fibersol-2 does not require any change to the baking process, time or temperature. It requires minimal formulation adjustment to incorporate, and can be added with the flour, sugar or other dry ingredients.

All-natural functional foods

Citri-Fi® from Fiberstar, River Falls, Wis., is an all-natural, functional ingredient made from citrus pulp that is specially suited for adding moistness, controlling moisture migration, improving yields, partially replacing fat and eggs and reducing the cost of a variety of food products. Citri-Fi not only holds water, it binds it and does not release it over time–even through baking and freezethaw conditions. The oil and waterbinding functionality of Citri-Fi makes it a natural fat replacer that maintains taste and texture while reducing cost. It is based on orange pulp, a by-product of orange juice production.

“The product itself is roughly 70 percent total dietary fiber, and it is used at such a low level it doesn’t really add much fiber content to the finished product, but because it binds so much water, it can be used to reduce cost and calories. It can also be used to replace oil because it has a fat-like, creamy mouthfeel, or as an egg replacer because of its emulsification properties,” Brock Lundberg, vice president of technology says.

The benefits to the baker are cost savings and reduction of fat and calories. Additionally, moisture stays bound in the products to keep a uniform distribution, imparting a more moist mouthfeel. Not much is needed to gain the main benefits, so the initial cost impact is minimal. The product keeps texture consistent and gives baked products a longer shelf life. By allowing the baker to reduce up to 50 percent of fats, oils and 25 percent of eggs, it reduces overall product formula cost.

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