Dietary fibre (non-starch polysaccharides) in cereal products

Dietary fibre, measured as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) has been determined in 114 cereals and cereal products using the Englyst technique. No diffculties were encountered with the analysis of any food and the results for cooked foods such as bread and breakfast cereals were comparable with the raw materials. The amount of total NSP ranged widely from 0.1% in cornflour to 37% in wheat bran. Detailed analysis of the materials indicated that most of the NSP in wheat and maize was an insoluble arabinoxylan whilst in oats a soluble β-glucan predominated. Barley and rye contained high amounts of both arabinoxylan and β-glucan. The NSP content of cereal products such as breakfast cereals and biscuits reflected the flours and grains from which they were made. When comparing the present data with other published results the importance of complete removal of starch for accurate dietary fibre measurement is stressed.