Development of a protocol for fractionating and characterising fibres from lignocellulosic food waste

• Published in: Food Chemistry: X Vol. 22; p. 101501
• Main Authors: Pedrazzani, Clara, Viscusi, Pio, Fuso, Andrea, Caligiani, Augusta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 30-06-2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Dietary fibre; Food by-products; Fractionation; Insoluble fibre; Soluble fibre; Food by-products; Fractionation; Soluble fibre; Lignin (PubChem CID: 175586); Pectin (PubChem SID: 482024439); Dietary fibre; Cellulose (PubChem CID: 16211032); Hemicellulose (PubChem SID: 405236826); Insoluble fibre
• ISSN: 2590-1575; 2590-1575
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101501

This study aims to explore an advanced protocol for characterising dietary fibre (DF) fractions to meet the growing demand for accurate and reliable data. Although current enzymatic-gravimetric approaches, e.g., AOAC and Van Soest analysis, provide information about soluble and insoluble DF quantification, they present limitations related to the lack of fractions characterisation. To overcome these limitations, the proposed protocol integrates the official AOAC 991.43 method with the sequential fibre fractionation by exploiting the different resistance of the fibre fractions to acid hydrolysis treatments (TFA and H2SO4), utilising hazelnut shells as a case-study. Each hydrolysed fraction was quantified and characterised through GC–MS analysis of monosaccharides. The data obtained for hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin fractions were then discussed and compared with the Van Soest method. This approach yields a comprehensive procedure applicable to different food and nutraceutical products, emphasising the importance of DF characterisation for a deeper understanding of their bio-functional properties.
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•A protocol for dietary fibre fractionation and quantification was developed.•Fibre was fractionated by exploiting the resistance to acid hydrolysis treatments.•Fibre fractions were quali- and quantified in terms of monosaccharides by GC–MS.•The developed method was compared with gravimetric and other chemical methods.•Advanced characterisation techniques are essential for enhancing knowledge of DF.