Abstract
A definition for dietary fiber was adopted in June 2009 by the Codex Alimentarius Commission based on the recommendation for endorsement of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) in November 2008. The definition listed three categories of carbohydrate polymers that are not hydrolyzed by the endogenous enzymes in the small intestine of humans. However, the definition left the inclusion of carbohydrates with degrees of polymerization (DP) in the range of 3 and 9 to the discretion of national authorities and left the ‘physiological effect(s) of benefit to health’ as undefined. The ILSI Europe and ILSI North America's committees on dietary carbohydrates organized a forum at the Ninth Vahouny Fiber Symposium in 2010 to discuss these implementation issues with the objective of building scientific consensus on how to resolve them. The results of this session are encouraging and indicated that the scientific community agrees on maintaining a worldwide consensus regarding the inclusion of non-digestible carbohydrates with ≥DP3 as dietary fiber and on a core, non-exhaustive list of beneficial physiological effects that dietary fibers have. These results are consistent with previous worldwide agreements.
Highlights
The Ninth Vahouny Symposium on Dietary Fiber, which was held in Bethesda, Maryland from June 8Á11, 2010, was attended by more than 150 participants from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies
It was the first Vahouny Symposium to have been held since the adoption of a definition for dietary fiber by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2009 and, as such, presented an opportunity for issues surrounding the implementation of the Codex definition to be discussed by a body of scientific and regulatory experts pre-eminent in the field
The goals of the session were to address critical aspects of the Codex definition of dietary fiber affecting its global implementation in a harmonized fashion and to provide a forum for experts in the field to address these impacts. This session was preceded by a session chaired by Tate & Lyle in which speakers had presented an overview of the Codex definition (Joanne Lupton, Texas A&M University, College Station), an account of the methodology available for the analysis of dietary fiber in foods and beverages (Jon DeVries, General Mills, Minneapolis, MN), an overview of European and international perspectives regarding the Codex definition (Wim Caers, Beneo-Group, Belgium), and the characterization of physiological benefits of dietary fiber
Summary
The Ninth Vahouny Symposium on Dietary Fiber, which was held in Bethesda, Maryland from June 8Á11, 2010, was attended by more than 150 participants from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
