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Current Situation of Dietary Fiber Analysis

Mikihiko YOSHIDA

Japan Food Research Laboratories

Recently, dietary fiber has attracted increased attention for its functionality in Japan. It is important to accurately measure dietary fiber content to understand our intake from food. In this study, we first explain the Codex Standard 234 as the recommended method adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in dietary fiber analysis. Codex Standard 234 is considered as the official method and has been used in multiple countries. Subsequently, we explain the official methods utilized in Japan for measuring dietary fiber content and introduce a new dietary fiber analysis method that has been adopted in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (FCTJ). When the method was adopted, we performed a study to verify the new dietary fiber analysis method for the FCTJ by comparing the value of the three methods (AOAC2011.25, improved AOAC2011.25 and modified Prosky methods; AOAC991.42 and AOAC993.19). As a result, major differences were not observed among the three methods, although there were differences in individual food types. Therefore, we considered that AOAC 2011.25, approved as a CAC Type 1 method, should be applied to the FCTJ. Dietary fiber analysis is extremely complicated, and it is necessary to select an analysis method based on the targeted dietary fiber components.
Key words: dietary fiber, analysis method, AOAC 2011.25, Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan

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