Cereal products dietary fiber content

Currently, it is not possible to recommend a specific intake of fiber more research is needed. However, dramatic increases in dietary fiber should be avoided since the absorption of minerals may be reduced by high dietary fiber intakes. Moderate increases in the consumption of fiber can be easily achieved by increasing the consumption of nuts, vegetables, fruits, and whole grain cereal products. The fiber content of various foods is given in Food Composition Table F-21. 

W. R. Windham, S. E. Kays, F. E. Barton, n. Effect of cereal product residual moisture content on total dietary fiber determined by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, J. Agric. Food Chem. 45 140-144, 1997. 

Wheat bran and whole wheat cereals quantitatively contain high amounts of manganese and are often listed as particularly valuable sources of manganese. However, zinc also is contained in appreciable amounts in wheat bran and whole wheat products but is poorly absorbed by the human from these sources. This has been attributed to either the phytate or the fiber contents of these products or a combination of these two dietary factors. These same factors may also affect the absorption of manganese. 

An increase in consumption of whole grain flour products is the nutritional aim in Norway. The high content of dietary fiber or factors associated with it, however, present in bran and whole grain flour, may interfere with the bioavailability of iron as indicated by several authors (2,3,4). Phosphate and especially phytic acid present in unrefined cereal products have frequently been said to be potent inhibitors of iron absorption (5,6). 

The composition of cereal food products can be signiflcantly modified by additives and some processing methods. For example, psyllium is often added to cereal products to increase the soluble fiber content however, the accepted method for measuring total dietary fiber (AOAC Method 991.43, Ref. 1) is not accurate for psyllium-containing products and must be modified by the addition of a sonification step (33). Similarly, some low- or no-calorie sugar and fat substitutes and their carriers, used in certain... 

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