TABLE 7 - 1 Characteristics of Dietary Fiber Characteristic Dietary Fiber
Nondigestible animal carbohydrate No Carbohydrates not recovered by alcohol precipitationa Yes
Nondigestible mono - and disaccharides and polyols No Lignin Yes Resistant starch Some Intact, naturally occurring food source only Yes Resistant to human enzymes Yes Specifies physiological effect No a Includes inulin, oligosaccharides (3â $ «10 degrees of polymerization), fructans, poly - dextrose, methylcellulose, resistant maltodextrins, and
other related compounds.
Other compounds can be developed that are
nondigestible and provide beneficial health effects, yet do not meet the current U.S. definition based on analytical methods.