Dietary fiber and associated macromolecular antioxidants in fruit and vegetable

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the dietary fiber (DF) in fruit and vegetables, with special attention to the macromolecular antioxidants associated with them. It also discusses the contribution of fruit and vegetables to the intake of DF and macromolecular antioxidants in the diet. Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies have addressed the role of DF in intestinal health, prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, obesity, and diabetes. In recent years some analytical efforts have been made to include macromolecular antioxidants in the analysis of DF; they have been mostly oriented towards the analysis of its major fraction of phenolic compounds. In order to carry out this analysis, once DF is isolated from a matrix, two independent acid treatments are performed to release the two fractions of macromolecular antioxidants and non‐extractable polyphenols, i.e. hydrolyzable polyphenols and non‐extractable proanthocyanidins, which are then measured by spectrophotometry or by HPLC techniques.