Choosing the right type of fiber most often depends on the bakery application.

Tate & Lyle offers several soluble fibers sourced from corn and turned into isolated fibers using a proprietary purification process. The ingredients are declared simply as soluble corn fiber; however, a number of forms provide other possible label declarations.

“The forms vary slightly in caloric content (0.86 to 1.9 Cal per g), depending on the level of soluble fiber content,” noted Rosemary Sikora, senior food scientist, applications, Tate & Lyle. “Depending upon the form used, the ingredient can significantly boost a baked food’s fiber content by 70 to 85%, without sacrificing taste, color or texture,” she observed.

Bakers can choose liquid, powder or agglomerated forms to achieve the solubility best for their specific applications. “Liquid forms are often used to replace traditional syrups in granola/snack bars, cereal coating, chewy cookies and snack cakes,” Ms. Sikora said. “The dry version works well in cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, sweet pastry, sweet buns, pies, icings/frostings and fillings.”

Soluble corn fiber, which adds bulk and enhances mouthfeel, serves as an excellent sugar replacement in baked foods, according to Ms. Sikora. “It also allows reduction of sugar alcohols, which are commonly used in no-sugar-added baked foods,” she added. Soluble corn fiber’s extra bonus is that it is a prebiotic fiber with good digestive tolerance.

ADM, Decatur, IL, markets digestion-resistant maltodextrin, which can be labeled as such or as soluble corn fiber. “It is a grain-based soluble fiber sourced from cornstarch, allowing fiber fortification of baked foods with minimal formulation and process adjustments while maintaining desired finished product characteristics,” said Kati Ledbetter, product development scientist. “It is produced by a proprietary method of roasting and ­enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch. It has numerous starch linkages that remain undigested by the human digestive tract, hence the name.”

Digestion-resistant maltodextrin contains 90% soluble dietary fiber, on a dry basis. “It only contributes 0.2 g of sugars per 10 g of ingredient, making it attractive for sugar-free or no-sugar-added products,” Ms. Ledbetter explained. “It also helps with caloric reduction because it contains 1.6 Cal per g, compared with the 4-Cal-per-g carbohydrates it can replace in formulations.”