Utilization of Agricultural Products: Sources of Dietary Fibre and Their Health Benefits - 農業知識入口網

1. Introduction

Development of functional dietary fibre from agricultural products has been the focus of Cui’s lab for the last 20 years. With the objectives of
developing/creating and evaluation of new dietary fibre products that will impart superior physical and/or physiological benefits compared to
native dietary fibre when incorporated into processed food, we have studies a variety of Canadian agricultural products, including flaxseed,
yellow mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, wheat brans, barley and oats beta-glucans, pulses and psyllium husk. A network has been developed 
in Canada and with international research institutes/industrial partners for the purpose of developing dietary fibre based novel food ingredients
using novel processing technologies, molecular  and functional characterizations, formulations; this will offer competitive advantages for the
Canadian processed food industry in an international marketplace. The market for dietary fibre is very  competitive. It is expected to triple in
the next decade due to a growing demand for healthier processed foods containing more fibre without compromising taste or other sensory
qualities. An  ever growing need is to create healthy processed foods that can play a role in preventing and managing certain chronic diseases, 
such as obesity, diabetics, high blood pressure, cardio vascular  disease, cancers. These have become prevalent in our society in recent decades.
Figure 1 illustrates the strategy used by Cui and colleagues around the world for studying polysaccharides/dietary  fibres from agricultural 
products. Polysaccharides from agricultural products are multi-functional: it can be used as hydrocolloids based on their ability to give viscosity
to aqueous solutions, form  gels and exert stability for oil/water emulsions [1]. These same polysaccharides are considered as watersoluble 
dietary fibres as they cannot be digested by human digestive enzymes and can  be fermented in the gut to promote gut health and enhance
the immunity (Nie, Cui and Xie, 2018). Some of the polysaccharides from plants and fungus were found to be bioactive in terms  of modulating
immune systems, exhibiting anti-cancer effects and prevent oxidative stresses [2]. This paper will focus on the development of dietary fibres from
crops grown in Canada,  and explore their potentials as functional ingredients for the food industry.