Association of Dietary Fiber to Food Components

© 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Food components such as phenolics, minerals, proteins and lipids, are associated to dietary fiber (DF), thus limiting their bioavailability. It is estimated that about 50% of the ingested phenolics are associated to DF, due to interactions with hydrophobic aromatic rings and hydrophilic hydroxyl groups of phenolics. Likewise, major essential minerals and trace elements can bind to inorganic salts found in the DF, such as phytates. Proteins can be found naturally linked to DF, particularly to polysaccharides in the cell walls of plants. Furthermore, lipids with a complex chemical structure may also be linked to DF. The main compounds under this category are cutin, suberin, and plant waxes. In this chapter, the chemical interactions between phenolics, minerals, proteins and lipids with DF, their metabolism and absorption, as well as the effect of food processing on their bioavailability are described.