Dietary fibre and its functionality: A review

Dietary fibre has long history, its term originated by Hipsley (1953) who coined dietary fibre as non-digestable constituents making up the plant cell wall Dietary fiber is broadly classified according to its solubility into soluble and insoluble fibers. Microbial and synthetic are rich source of soluble fiber. Cereals, pulses and oilseeds are rich sources of insoluble fiber. Fibre, as a food ingredient, shows various types of techno-functional properties such as emulsification, fat replacement, stabilizer, texturizer and cryoprotectant in wide range of processed food products. The food industry takes advantage of these properties to improve the viscosity, texture, sensory characteristics and shelf-life of its products. The physico-chemical properties of fibre can be manipulated through different processing treatments to improve their functionality and nutrient content in different food products such as baked goods, beverages, dairy, meat and pasta products.