Download A new term for plant fibers in nutrition

LETTERS
934
A new
Dear
term
Various
EDITOR
in nutrition
terms
have
to define
components
not
digested
by
by
the
been
proposed
in recent
that
part
of food
plants,
of the plant cell wall, that
human
human
enzymes
or
gastrointestinal
abtract
(1-3).
Most of these suggestions,
which have been
previously
discussed
by Spiller
and Amen
(1)
and which
are illustrated
in Figure
1, include
the term
“fiber,”
an expression
that
is not
quite
correct.
Fiber
is used
in many
other
fields,
such
as anatomy
(muscle
and nerve
fiber),
optics,
and textiles.
Also,
in dealing
with
the effects
of the plant
cell wall,
we
include
both
fibrous
and nonfibrous
components.
There
is undoubtedly
a need for a term
to represent
the sum of substances
designated
as C in Figure
1, and perhaps
another
to
encompass
these
substances
plus associated
plant cell wall factors,
C + D. The sum of the
components
listed
in C can then
be substituted in nutritional
studies
and food composition tables
for crude
fiber, which
is acknowledged
to be both
an imprecise
term
and an
inaccurate
analytical
procedure
(46).
We propose
a new word,
plantix,
derived
from
two
Latin
words:
planta
and matrix
(plant
and
with
plant
matrix).
We
are
obviously
recognized
first
and
step
that
in the
our
suggestion
adaptation
of this
Gayle
Department
Syntex
Gene A. Spiller,
Fasseit-Cornelius,
of Nutritional
Research,
Palo
Science
Alto,
California
A
B
FIBER COMPLEX
(Trowell
121)
C
D
PURIFIED
PLANT
FIBER (PPF(
(Spiller & Amen (1))
DIETARY
FIBER
(Trowell
(21)
ASSOCIATED
PLANT
CELL
FACTORS
(APF)
WALL
-
cellulose
-
waxes, cutins
-
hemicelluloses
-
proteins
-
mucilages
cell wall-bound
(undigestible)
-
pectins
-
minerals
gums
cell wall-bound
(undigestible)
-
-
other cell wall-bound
undigestible substances
-
lignin
DIGESTIBLE
I.
Suggested
classification
of
COMPONENTS
Proteins, fats and other lipids,
carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals
and water that are digested
such, or hydrysed
by human
digestive enzymes and then
absorbed
(the sum of all of them; or
a single entity.
Analyses
to be given whenever
possible)
FIG.
will
be the
nomencla-
ture.
NONPURIFIED
PLANT
FIBER (NPPF)
(Spiller and Amen 11))
NONNUTRITIVE
FIBER
(Kritchevsky
(3))
DIETARY
dealing
materials,
the undigested
com-.
pounds
form
a matrix
in the digestive
system
of humans
(up to the ileocecal
valve),
and the
action
of colonic
bacteria
on this matrix
is
responsible
for many
physiological
effects.
Plantix
would
be used to describe
the sum of
substances
given under
C in Figure
1 (C + D
could
be called
complantix
from
complex
plant ix). Such adjectives
as “purified,”
“nonnutritive,”
and “dietary”
could
further
particularize
the basic “plantix.”
Differences
in value
between
crude
fiber
and plantix
(Trowell’s
dietary
fiber and Spiller and
Amen’s
purified
plant
fiber)
are
shown
in Table
1 as an illustration
of the need
for an explicit
term.
We hope
that
the need
for a definitive
nomenclature
in this field
will be universally
plant
fibers.
Ph.D.
B.A.
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sorbed
fibers
THE
Sir:
years
mostly
are
for plant
TO
LETTERS
TABLE
TO
THE
EDITOR
I
Approximate
plantix
content
of some common
foodstuffs
Neutral
detergent
fiberNDF
Food
Plantix
(total)
P2
(proposed)
NDF+P’
g/lOO
Fruits
Crude fiber
CF’
=
g dry mailer
and vegetables
12
14
9
Lettuce
17
Squash
(whole
(peeled)
(peeled)
4
5
IS
17
5
19
4
12
7
3
29
19
28
21
16
12
18
9
8
6
12
3
1
6
7
kernel)
Whole
barley
27
Traces
27
Whole
corn
13
Traces
13
3
31
14
60
Traces
Traces
Traces
Traces
Traces
31
14
60
45
24
13
3
14
11
13
Whole
oats
Whole
wheat
Corn bran
Wheat
bran
Rice bran
45
24
‘NDF
=
Cellulose
+ hemicelluloses
+ lignin
according
to Van
Soest’s
methods analyzed by Robertson
and
Steh (4) for fruits
and vegetables,
and Van Soest (5) for grains.
Cellulose,
hemicelluloses,
and lignins
can be also analyzed
by the Southgate
method
(4).
2 Pectin
=
Total
pectic
substances
(soluble
+ insoluble
pectins)
expressed
as
calcium
pectate.
Data from
Kertesz
(6). Pectin
is extremely
low in grains,
usually
about
1%.
Plantix
(proposed
term) = NDF + pectin; for foods with negligible
amounts
of gums and mucilages.
In other cases, gums, and mucilages should be included in the sum.
Crude
fiber analyses
by Robertson
and Steh (4) for fruits and vegetables
and
Van Soest (5) for grains.
George
M.
Briggs,
Ph.D.
2.
H. C. Ischaemic
heart disease and dietary
J. Clin.
Nutr.
25: 926, 1972.
3. KRITCHEVSKY,
D., AND J. A. STORY. Binding
of bile
salts in vitro by nonnutritive
fiber. J. Nutr.
104: 458,
1974.
4. SPILLER,
G. A., AND R. J. AMEN.
Dietary
fiber
in
human
nutrition.
CRC
Crit.
Rev. Food Sci. Nutr.
7:
39, 1975.
5. VAN
SOEST,
P. J. Proceedings:
Cornell
Nutrition
TROWELL,
fiber.
Department
University
Berkeley,
of Nutritional
of California
California
Science
References
1.
SPILLER,
G. A.,
nutrition:
need
Nutr.
28: 675,
Fortification
Dear
We
R. J.
AND
AMEN.
for better
1975.
nomenclature.
of salt
with
Plant
fibers
Am.
in
J. Clin.
Am.
Conference
6.
KERTESZ,
New
York
for
Feed
Z. I. The
Interscience
Manufacturers,
Pectic
1973.
Substances.
Publishers,
1951,
New
pp.
York:
281.
iron
Sir:
were
greatly
interested
in the
paper
by
B. S. Narasinga
Rao
and C. Vijayasarathy
in
the American
Journal
of Clinical
Nutrition
28: 1395,
1975 on the experimental
fortification
of salt with
various
iron
compounds.
Stott
(1) and
others
(2-4)
carried
out
a
long-term
study
of this subject
in Mauritius
and the Seychelles
in the early
1960’s.
Their
results
showed
that an iron fortification
pro-
gram
carried
out in the field is a great
deal
more
complicated
to mount
than
originally
thought.
The predominant
anemia
in Mauritius
is
iron deficient
and mostly
due to blood
loss
from hookworm
infestation,
so it was decided
to fortify
the
locally
made
sea salt
with
soluble
iron pyrophosphate.
Prior
to this, the
import
of salt was prohibited
and when
the
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Apples(peeled)
Cabbage
Carrots
Oranges
Potatoes
Grains
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