Dietary fibre in fruits
Dietary fibre are substances of vegetable origin, which hardy, if at all, are digested in the gastrointestinal tract. It consists of cellulose, lignin, hemicelluloses, gum, mucilage and pectins. Dietary fibre can be water soluble or insoluble. For the most part, fruit contain soluble dietary fibre, but in some fruits, such as plums or chokeberry, you can find both types of fibre.
Fruit fibre plays a very important role in the human body.
- it binds harmful compounds, such as toxins, heavy metals, and help remove them from the body;
- It helps maintain normal levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose;
- It accelerates intestinal peristalsis and therefore it is recommended in weight-loss programmes;
- It facilitates bowel movement;
- It enhances the development of intestinal bacterial flora, which is extremely important for the proper functioning of the whole gastrointestinal tract;
- It reduces hunger – the components such as pectin or cellulose swell in the stomach, thus reducing appetite;
- It prevents the development of gastrointestinal tumours.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the daily consumption of dietary fibre by an adult should be 20-40 g. However, in the developed countries, where processed food is consumed, the supply of dietary fibre hardly amounts to these figures. For example, in Africa the daily consumption of dietary fibre is as high as 60 g.
Increasing the daily consumption of fruit fibre by 10g will reduce the risk of intestine cancer by as much as 23%.
It is recommendable to have dietary fibre in your everyday diet, however the daily dose should not be exceeded. Excessive consumption of dietary fibre can cause abdominal pain, flatulence, or even problems with absorption of fats and therefore the supply of fat-soluble vitamins.
Dried and ground chokeberry pomace contain up to 85% of dietary fibre, of which 82% is insoluble fibre. Fresh chokeberry is the source of 56 g fibre per 1 kg. Interesting enough, in Germany chokeberry flour is produced by grinding dried chokeberry pomace. Chokeberry flour is used to produce high-fibre bread.
