Fibre Content and Fibre Fortification of Menu Items Served to Sherbrooke Community Centre Residents on Texture Modified Diets

Background: Research has shown regular and texture modified menus in long term care (LTC) homes provide less than the recommended Dietary Reference Intake for dietary fibre. Constipation may result from inadequate fibre intake and be treated with laxatives and enemas, which may have implications for quality of life. Increasing the amount of fibre provided from texture modified diets may decrease use of such treatments and improve daily fibre intake. Objective: This study was part of a health improvement initiative for residents at Sherbrooke Community Centre (SCC). The goal of this study was to measure the baseline amount of fibre provided to residents on texture modified diets and to increase fibre provision by 5-10 grams per day. Methods: This study involved: 1) determining the fibre content of the texture modified menu for residents on pureed and minced diets; 2) identifying fibres and foods suitable for a fibre fortification trial; 3) conducting a fibre fortification trial and identifying fibre-food combinations for a taste test; and 4) conducting a taste test with SCC staff to assess acceptability of fibre fortified menu items. Thirty SCC staff were included. Results: The average daily fibre provided was 13.4 grams. The fibre fortified foods best accepted by participants were mashed potatoes with red lentils, pudding with pea hull fibre, and gravy with pea hull fibre. Implications: We recommended SCC incorporate the best accepted fibre fortified menu items into their regular and texture modified menus, allowing the daily average amount of fibre to increase by 5.39 grams per day.

Acute effects of pea protein and hull fibre alone and combined on blood glucose, appetite, and food intake in healthy young men – a randomized crossover trial

Whether pulse components can be used as value-added ingredients in foods formulated for blood glucose (BG) and food intake (FI) control requires investigation. The objective of this study was to examine of the effects of pea components on FI at an ad libitum meal, as well as appetite and BG responses before and after the meal. In a repeated-measures crossover trial, men (n = 15) randomly consumed (i) pea hull fibre (7 g), (ii) pea protein (10 g), (iii) pea protein (10 g) plus hull fibre (7 g), (iv) yellow peas (406 g), and (v) control. Pea hull fibre and protein were served with tomato sauce and noodles, while yellow peas were served with tomato sauce. Control was noodles and tomato sauce. FI was measured at a pizza meal (135 min). Appetite and BG were measured pre-pizza (0–135 min) and post-pizza (155–215 min). Protein plus fibre and yellow peas led to lower pre-pizza BG area under the curve compared with fibre and control. At 30 min, BG was lower after protein plus fibre and yellow peas compared with fibre and control, whereas at 45 and 75 min, protein plus fibre and yellow peas led to lower BG compared with fibre (p < 0.05). Following the pizza meal (155 min), yellow peas led to lower BG compared with fibre (p < 0.05). No differences were observed in FI or appetite. This trial supports the use of pea components as value-added ingredients in foods designed to improve glycemic control.

Digestion of fibre polysaccharides of pea (Pisum sativum) hulls, carrot and cabbage by adult cockerels

Characterization of the carbohydrates of pea (Pisum sativum) hulls, carrot and cabbage using both colorimetric and gas–liquid chromatographic techniques permitted a detailed investigation into the extent of digestion of differing types of fibre. These digestion studies were greatly aided by the development of a rapid bioassay employing starved adult cockerels. Total collection of undigested residues, uncontaminated by food spillage, could be made from trays placed under the cockerels. Chemical analysis showed that pea hulls consisted mainly of fibre with very little available carbohydrate present, whereas more than half of freeze-dried carrot and cabbage consisted of available carbohydrate (sucrose, glucose, fructose, starch) and consequently considerably less fibre was present. The fibre of carrot and cabbage was similarly composed of nearly equal amounts of neutral and acidic polysaccharides, whereas pea-hull fibre had four times as much neutral as acidic polysaccharides. The digestibility of total neutral polysaccharides from all three foodstuffs was extremely low. However, there appeared to be preferential digestion of polysaccharides composed of rhamnose, arabinose and galactose residues, all associated with pectic material, in contrast to the indigestibility of polysaccharides composed of fucose, xylose and glucose. Acidic polysaccharides were digested to a greater extent than neutral ones, and those of carrot and cabbage more so than pea hulls. The polysaccharides which were the most soluble were also the most digestible, but due to the arbitrariness of polysaccharide solubility, quantification of their total digestibility per se was considered not possible.