Dietary fibre and other constituents of some Tongan foods.
Holloway W. D., Monro J. A., Gurnsey J. C., Pomare E. W., Stace N. H.
Author Affiliation: DSIR, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Journal of Food Science 50 : 1756-1757
Abstract : Components of dietary fibre (soluble nonstarch polysaccharide, pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin), water, energy, protein, lipid and starchcontents were measured in banana, breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), coconut, mango, pawpaw, plantain, sweet potato, taro (Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Colocasia esculenta) and Pacific yam (Dioscorea alata). The Tongan foods were high in dietary fibre. This is thought to be an important factor contributing to a lower incidence of certain gastrointestinal disorders in Tonga than is found in New Zealand.