Dietary fibers as functional ingredients in meat products and their role in human health

Abstract

The article evaluates the effect of dietary fibers as functional ingredient in meat products and their physiological role in human health. Fibers are naturally occurring compounds present in variety of vegetables, fruits, cereal flours etc in abundance, and act through their solubility, viscosity, gel forming ability, water-binding capacity, oil adsorption capacity, fermentability, and mineral and organic molecule binding capacity which affect product quality and characteristics. Beside these, high-fiber intake tends to reduce risk of colon cancer, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and several other disorders. Moreover, based on their physiochemical properties, many fibers can help to improve colour, texture and sensorial characteristics instead of nutritional benefits. Fiber inclusions could help in diminution of calorie content in foods.   Key words: Dietary fiber, functional food, colour, texture, health.