nutrients have been reported as essential: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins,
and minerals. In advanced economies where food is abundant, however, obesity and
lifestyle diseases have emerged as serious social issues. The choice of foods that are
rich in nutrients has become a major area of interest for long and healthy lives
(Ortiz et al. 2006).
Dietary fiber is not easily digestible, and has often been viewed in food terms as
a non-nutrient that does not serve as an energy source or ingredient in body tissues.
Recently, however, it has been recognized as a useful food ingredient in terms of
human health. Dietary fiber is a category that encompasses all food ingredients not
digested by human digestive enzymes, and is contained most commonly in
vegetables.
The importance of dietary fiber was first recognized as the possibility was raised
that the steady increase in the proportion of carbohydrates in Western diets was
etiologically related to lifestyle diseases. Indigenous Africans show extremely low
incidence of conditions that are common among Westerners, including heart disease, diabetes, and digestive conditions such as constipation, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and colorectal cancer; obesity is also extremely rare. The reason for these
differences in disease occurrence between Westerners and Africans stems from the
amount of fiber consumed: the Africans examined showed fecal content many times
higher than for Westerners (Kim 2018).
A. Algae Components
Algae grow in markedly different environments from land-placed plants, and their
components are correspondingly different. Forms of dietary fiber include the carbohydrate cellulose, which makes up the cell well in land plants; the hemicelluloses
xylan, mannan, and galactan; pectin; the aromatic hydrocarbon polymer lignin; and
the wax polyphenol-based cutin. Non-structural carbohydrates include pectin and
konjak mannan. Sap gums such as gum Arabic, gum karaya, and tragacanth gum
Fig. 8.27 Functional foods and health
272
8 Developing Functional Materials with Marine Organisms
and minerals. In advanced economies where food is abundant, however, obesity and
lifestyle diseases have emerged as serious social issues. The choice of foods that are
rich in nutrients has become a major area of interest for long and healthy lives
(Ortiz et al. 2006).
Dietary fiber is not easily digestible, and has often been viewed in food terms as
a non-nutrient that does not serve as an energy source or ingredient in body tissues.
Recently, however, it has been recognized as a useful food ingredient in terms of
human health. Dietary fiber is a category that encompasses all food ingredients not
digested by human digestive enzymes, and is contained most commonly in
vegetables.
The importance of dietary fiber was first recognized as the possibility was raised
that the steady increase in the proportion of carbohydrates in Western diets was
etiologically related to lifestyle diseases. Indigenous Africans show extremely low
incidence of conditions that are common among Westerners, including heart disease, diabetes, and digestive conditions such as constipation, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, and colorectal cancer; obesity is also extremely rare. The reason for these
differences in disease occurrence between Westerners and Africans stems from the
amount of fiber consumed: the Africans examined showed fecal content many times
higher than for Westerners (Kim 2018).
A. Algae Components
Algae grow in markedly different environments from land-placed plants, and their
components are correspondingly different. Forms of dietary fiber include the carbohydrate cellulose, which makes up the cell well in land plants; the hemicelluloses
xylan, mannan, and galactan; pectin; the aromatic hydrocarbon polymer lignin; and
the wax polyphenol-based cutin. Non-structural carbohydrates include pectin and
konjak mannan. Sap gums such as gum Arabic, gum karaya, and tragacanth gum
Fig. 8.27 Functional foods and health
272
8 Developing Functional Materials with Marine Organisms