FiberGem: The Dietary Fiber You've Been Waiting For

It is undeniable that fiber is a nutrient needed for overall health and wellness. However, even with growing whole grain consumption in bakery and snack products, getting enough fiber can be a challenge. So what is fiber and how can we get more fiber in the diet?

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is not broken down into simple sugars like most carbohydrates, rather it is simply passed through the body undigested. This mechanism assists in regulating blood sugar as well as helping reduce the risk for many diseases (1).

There are two types of dietary fiber – soluble and insoluble. Both sources of fiber provide benefit to the human body including lowering cholesterol levels and creating bulk in the GI tract. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and is most often found in fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is commonly found in whole grains, beans, and nuts (2).

Most Americans fall shy of the recommended 28g dietary fiber for women and 34g dietary fiber for men, and doing so has both short-term and long-term health effects (3). Why not try and increase the nutrition content of your baked product to help consumers fill the gap?

FiberGem is classified as an RS4 resistant wheat starch, meaning that unlike normal starches, it is not broken down by enzymes in the human digestive tract. Through chemical modification and processing, FiberGem is 90% dietary fiber and is on the FDA’s list of non-digestible carbohydrates to be added to the definition of dietary fiber (4). Though FiberGem differs in digestibility from native wheat starches, it functions very similarly within existing dough/bakery systems. Like starch, FiberGem helps to provide a bright, white crumb color but does so without disrupting viscosity or absorption of the system. It gelatinizes at a similar temperature as native starch and

FiberGem is ideal for a wide range of bakery products but is particularly beneficial in high fiber and low carb applications. Depending on your nutritional goals, the usage rate of FiberGem in a formula can be as high as 50% flour replacement. In a low carb application, FiberGem can be used in conjunction with GemPro HPG and GemPro Prime-E as a complete flour replacement. FiberGem can also aid in sugar reduction efforts for cookies, cakes and pastries with minimal impact to finished product quality.

Give your formulation a refresh and fiber boost by trying out FiberGem! Reach out to the Manildra Innovation Team with the Contact Us button below, or check out our new formula page to get started.

Sources: 1) Fiber | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 2) Should I be eating more fiber? - Harvard Health 3) Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 4) Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber | FDA