Comparative study of the contents of dietary fiber in four fruits commonly consumed in Venezuela.
Pire Sierra M. C., Garrido E., González H., Pérez H.
Author Affiliation: Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Interciencia 35 : 939-944
Abstract : Due to the importance of dietary fiber ingestion, its contents were determined in four fruits commonly consumed in Venezuela, such as mango (Mangifera indica), 'ciruela de huesito' (Spondias purpurea), guava (Psidium guajava), and grapes, both the native variety (Criolla Negra; Vitis vinifera × V. caribaea) and the exotic Red Globe variey (V. vinifera). Additionally, the contents of total dietary fiber (TDF) and its soluble (SDF) and insoluble fractions (IDF) present in the endocarp (pulp) and epicarp (peel) of these fruits were compared, using an enzymatic gravimetric method (AOAC N°991.43). Guava pulp presented the major TDF content (45.7 g.100 g-1), followed by mango (10.8 g.100 g-1), 'ciruela de huesito' (8.1 g.100 g-1) and grapes (4.2 g.100 g-1 for Red Globe grape, and 3.8 g.100 g-1 for 'Criolla Negra'). Mango and 'ciruela de huesito' showed a balance between the content of SDF and IDT, and stand out as sources of soluble dietary fiber. The IDF fraction was higher than SDF in the rest of the fruits. The epicarp of all the fruits presented a greater content of TDF in relation to the endocarp. One concludes that the habit of epicarp removal from these fruits implies the non-utilization of a portion of dietary fiber contained.