Efsa Dietary Fiber Definition

Introduction definitions and classification.

Efsa dietary fiber definition. 1924 2006 on nutrition and health claims for foods specifies the requirement for the use of the terms source of fiber or high in fiber. This opinion of the efsa panel on dietetic products nutrition and allergies nda deals with the establishment of dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. Dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre efsa journal 2010. Efsa included in the definition of dietary fiber also polymers obtained by physical enzymatic or chemical means with a demonstrated beneficial physiological effect.

The eu regulation ec no. European food safety authority statement of the scientific panel on dietetic products nutrition and allergies on a request from the commission related to dietary fibre request nº efsa q 2007 121 expressed on 6 july 2007 at its 17th plenary meeting corresponding to item 10 1 of the agenda eu 2008. The term dietary fibre df was first introduced in 1950s referring to plant cell wall materials. Later it was used to describe a class of plant originated polysaccharides which cannot be digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract van der kamp 2004 over the past five decades confusion existed in defining df and in.

On the other hand the european food safety authority efsa uses aoac fibre as a basis for intake recommendations. As efsa is in the process of preparing an opinion that will include dietary recommendations on dietary fibre for europeans the commission requests efsa s advice on the definition of dietary fibre so as to be considered when preparing the community position for the ccnfsdu meeting in november 2007. The panel therefore comes to the. Dietary fiber regulations measurement of dietary fiber dietary fiber in human health research and white papers.

Carbohydrates digested and absorbed in the human small. However some important issues remain to be sorted out in the implementation of the definition. Definition of dietary fibre. The definition follows the statement of efsa s nda panel expressed on 6 july 2007.

Finally and albeit outdated a terminology often encountered in the literature is the classification of dietary fibre into soluble and insoluble. Nutritionally two broad categories of carbohydrates can be differentiated.