ViberX can be added to low-fibre foods, such as white bread, cakes, pasta, pizza and sauces, to make them more beneficial in health terms
Scientists have turned original plant starches, such as wheat, corn and cassava, into dietary fibers called "fiber X", which can be added to food to make it healthier without changing its texture, colour or taste. These fibers resist digestion in the human intestine, just like natural fibers.
According to the Royal Institute of Australian Technology press release published on November 23, fiber X is not only smooth and tasteless, but may also be gluten-free and suitable for strengthening low-calorie and low-sugary foods.
"Invisible fibres"
Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, worked with researchers at Microtec Engineering Group, an engineering company providing starch processing equipment, to develop a starch-based product called FiberX.
FiberX can be added to low-fibre foods such as white bread, cakes, pasta, pizza and sauces to make them more healthy.
Project leader Assistant Professor Asghar Farhanaki and his team, from the Royal Institute of Technology's Centre for Food Research and Innovation, used advanced starch modification technology with nutritionally approved substances to create what they describe as "invisible fibre."
"We can now add more fibre to foods - such as white bread and other staples - without changing taste or texture, which has been one of the main problems with many commercially available fibre supplements so far," he said in the institute's press release.
"Our product cannot be observed even by simply adding it; It is like a mother who hides vegetables in a child's meal to make them more nutritious. "
Importance of fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is not digested in the human intestine, can help improve the health and function of the digestive tract, and can also help prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, reduce risk factors for certain cardiovascular diseases.
Increasing fibre content in food products by 10% to 20% while also maintaining a nice taste and texture is a challenge across the food industry.
Current foods with added fibres can have a difficult taste or flavor different from the original product. As part of the research, Farhanaki's team conducted taste tests and texture analysis on bread and cake in varying quantities of added ViberX, and found that they were able to add up to 20% fiber to the food while maintaining the original taste of the product.
"This new technique means that we can increase the amount of fibre that goes into food so that we can get our recommended daily amount, even when eating less food," Farhanaki said.
Reducing food waste
Australia currently produces 5 thousands of tons of legume protein, which naturally contains high levels of protein 14% to 39%, making it a suitable starting material for producing plant proteins annually, but producing 30 thousand tons of waste.
Microtech's Centre for Food Research and Innovation and the Royal Institute of Technology also partnered with the Food Waste Control Cooperative Research Centre to study the use of waste starch and fibre-rich by-products.
"In addition to health benefits, FiberX also has the potential to improve supply chain challenges, reduce food waste and increase local jobs," Farhanaki said.
"This partnership will not only help reduce food waste on a large scale, but will also lead to the creation of new high-quality food products rich in dietary fibre."
The new technology would enable the production of dietary fibres using a large-scale cost-effective and energy-efficient process. Expanding this technology will mean that the food industry will have access to large quantities of invisible and affordable dietary fibre to provide high-fibre foods to consumers.
Comments
Post a Comment