article · International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
Dietary fibre delivers multiple health benefits depending on its specific type, making the detailed characterisation of vegetables essential for accurate nutritional guidance. An evaluation of 29 vegetable varieties and species grown in Wallonia, Belgium, examined their dietary fibre profiles in both raw and steamed forms. The assessment measured fructans, total dietary fibre, insoluble dietary fibre, and both low- and high-molecular-weight soluble dietary fibre using enzymatic, gravimetric, and chromatographic techniques. Dietary fibre levels differed substantially among the various vegetable types. The effect of steaming was primarily restricted to shifting insoluble dietary fibre into high-molecular-weight soluble dietary fibre across 18 of the 29 vegetables. Additionally, steaming preserved fructans without reducing their degree of polymerisation.
Dietary fibre types behave differently in the human gastrointestinal tract, leading to distinct health outcomes. Understanding how standard domestic preparation methods such as steaming alter fibre structures enables health professionals and dietitians to provide more precise, realistic nutritional recommendations based on cooked foods rather than raw produce alone.
This is early-stage nutritional research providing baseline composition data. The findings could be used by food processors, dietitians, and commercial catering developers seeking to optimise cooking protocols that preserve fructans or enhance soluble fibre proportions. However, the abstract does not state a direct product development or commercialisation pathway.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Dietary fibre (DF) has many positive effects on human health associated with its functionality in the gastrointestinal tract. These benefits vary according to the type of DF. Vegetables can be a natural source of DF in the diet. However, to provide adequate nutritional advice, the content and profile of their various DF types must be characterised. This study aimed to determine the DF profile of 29 vegetables cultivated in Wallonia (Belgium) and the impact of steaming on these profiles. Using a combination of enzymatic, gravimetric and chromatographic methods, fructans, total dietary fibre (TDF), low- and high-molecular-weight soluble dietary fibre (SDF), and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) were analysed. Results show that the DF content varies considerably among the 29 investigated vegetable varieties and species, but the influence of steaming is limited to a shift from IDF to high-molecular-weight SDF for 18 of the 29 tested vegetables, while fructans are preserved with not actual reduction in the DP.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2017.1412404
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
