What's the Scoop on Dietary Fiber?

Information about dietary fiber seems to pop up everywhere you look these days and probably for good reason.  There is more research available each day to show the many benefits of dietary fiber for the health of people and animals.  Fiber comes from plant cell walls and is a type of carbohydrate that is not digested by the enzymes present in mammals. This type of carbohydrate is comprised of four major components which are distinctly different in chemical composition.   These four carbohydrate types are, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin/gums.

Although fiber isn’t digested by the enzymes naturally occurring in mammalian digestive systems, gastrointestinal microbes help to ferment fiber, producing short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) that are used for energy or other biological processes. In ruminants, fiber is degraded into rumen, which is the main source of nutrition for the animal. Fermentation in monogastric species occurs in the cecum and/or colon.

Food sources of fiber are generally classified in two categories, soluble and insoluble, but there are several subtypes of fiber within these two categories.  Soluble fiber binds with fatty acids and allows blood sugars to release more slowly into the body. They also help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.  Insoluble fibers assist with hydration of waste and control the pH levels in the intestines.  

The world of fiber continues to evolve and recently functional fibers such as oligosaccharides have been included in the definitions of food sources of fiber.  Resistant starch (RS) includes starch and starch degradation products that escape from digestion in the small intestine of healthy individuals. Resistant starch is also more recently considered a third type of dietary fiber; it exhibits benefits of insoluble fiber and some of the benefits of soluble fiber.

Measurement of fiber is a fairly complex process and requires different methodologies for the different types of fiber. Common methods at EPL BAS include measurement of Crude Fiber, Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and Total Dietary Fiber.  We can also measure Lignin and Total Starch.

Crude fiber (CF) analysis removes free sugars and starch. This alkaline hydrolysis removes protein, some carbohydrates, some hemi-cellulose and lignin and does not measure soluble fiber. Crude fiber is only 1/7 to 1/2 of total dietary fiber.

Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) refers to the insoluble fiber within a plant cell wall and is comprised of cellulose and lignin.

Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) is a value comprised of ADF plus insoluble hemicellulose.  The ADF value can be subtracted from the NDF value to reach a figure close, but not exactly equal to CF.

Total Dietary Fiber (TDF) allows for separate measurement of total fiber, insoluble fiber, and soluble fiber. This method is unable to measure many oligosaccharides.

What's Up With the Birds and Bees?

What is a pollinator, why are pollinator important and why are we hearing so much about them now?

Many plants need help from insects, such as bees, to reproduce and produce seeds and fruit that are part of our diet.  There are a variety of other pollinators, including mammals such as bats, birds, reptiles (lizards) and other insects like butterflies.

Most of us have heard, in recent years, about something called colony collapse disorder.  In this disorder, worker bees essentially disappear from a colony leaving behind the queen, the food sources and immature bees with a few nurse bees.  Historically, there are reports of this phenomenon periodically as far back as the late 1800s, however, in 2006-2007 unusually high losses were being reported with very few dead bees observed near the hives.

Do we know what causes this disorder?

There are several potential reasons that include:

• Pathogens
• Other pests such as mites
• Poor nutrition due to loss or change in habitat
• Lack of genetic diversity
• Transport and overwork
• Pesticide usage

What is being done about this problem?

A variety of organizations including non-profit, private and governmental agencies have been involved in working to find causes and solutions for pollinator health issues.  In 2014, a US presidential memorandum set the stage for creation of a federal strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators.  The US EPA published documents to provide guidance for risk analysis for pesticides and performance of pollinator health studies.

What part does EPL play in pollinator health studies?

Pollinator studies create new challenges for those involved in assurance that new crop protection products are safe.  EPL is a contract analytical laboratory that has been working with others to develop the best analytical capabilities for pollinator health studies.   In January 2015, EPL was invited to participate in a pollinator health workshop sponsored jointly by representatives from Syngenta and Bayer. EPL representatives included Sara Sharp, Study Director and Team Lead for AgChem and Fred Claussen, Vice President of EPL.  EPL analyzes pollen, nectar and flowers to monitor and quantify the concentration of pesticides and other agrochemicals.  The workshop was held in association with the annual meeting of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants.   Fred presented information related to the variety of matrices involved in these studies.  He also talked about some of the analytical challenges and improvements that may be possible in the future such as implementation of high throughput technologies.  If you have questions or need analytical support for pollinator health studies, please contact Fred or Sara.

EPL BAS Wins Another Award

EPL Bio Analytical Services (EPL BAS), a global leader in providing the latest and best technology and services, has been awarded “Outstanding Small Business Award” by the Decatur Chamber of Commerce.  EPL BAS provides data that that has been used to support literally hundreds of crop protection products.  Since the company’s inception in 1987, EPL BAS has focused exclusively on agricultural science, building a reputation in the industry for quality, compliance, flexibility and customer service.

The Outstanding Small Business award, presented at the Annual Chamber Awards Ceremony on 8/13/14, honors member businesses, agencies, and individuals who have shown outstanding performance, quality customer service, and business distinctiveness in our community. EPL BAS was one of nine local businesses nominated.  Congratulations to our Team!