Dietary fibers as beneficial microbiota modulators: a proposal classification by prebiotic categories
Esther Santana VazRezende Nutrition Available online 26 February 2021, 111217
Highlights
• Dietary fiber and prebiotic are not synonyms since not all fiber act as a prebiotic
• Currently, only fructans (FOS and inulin) and galactans (GOS) are classified as prebiotics
• Fibers can be categorized in prebiotic, candidate to prebiotic and not recognized as prebiotic
• More clinical studies should be conducted with dietary fibers candidate to prebiotic
Dietary fiber is a group of heterogeneous substances that are neither digested nor absorbed in the small intestine. Some fiber can be classified as prebiotics if they are metabolized by beneficial bacteria present in the hindgut microbiota. This review aimed to specify the prebiotic properties of different subgroups of dietary fibers (resistant oligosaccharides, non-starch polysaccharides, resistant starches, and associated substances) to classify them by prebiotic categories.
Currently, only resistant oligosaccharides – fructans (fructooligosaccharides, oligofructose and inulin) and galactans – are well documented as prebiotics in literature. Other fibers are considered candidates to prebiotics or with prebiotic potential, and apparently some have no prebiotic effect on humans. The classification of dietary fibers by prebiotic categories proposed in this study contribute to clarify these concepts in literature and to stimulate the processing and consumption of foods rich in fiber and other products with prebiotic properties, as well as to develop protocols and guidelines on food sources of prebiotics.