Consumers are interested in improving their diets to bolster their health, and one area where virtually everyone needs improvement is fiber intake. Studies show that only a small fraction of the population is getting enough fiber, and most Americans are consuming just half of their daily recommended amount.

Fiber is a nutrition trend that is here to stay, said Tanya Jeradechachai, vice president of R&D, ingredient solutions at MGP Ingredients.

“Consumer packaged companies are highly motivated to fortify foods with fiber because of its beneficial effects,” she explained. “This is already occurring as bakers are working hard to increase fiber, lower calories or reduce net carbs in many formulas while improving the overall health benefits of their premium branded offerings. This will continue as this trend is gaining in popularity.”

As producers explore ways to pack more fiber into baked goods, they face challenges to maintaining taste, texture, shelf life and more. 

“Baked goods are complex because of the interactions between ingredients,” said Julia DesRochers, PhD, principal scientist, technical service, Tate & Lyle. “The pitfalls are often different depending on the type of baked good, for example, in cookies using a fiber that has very high water-holding capacity would be difficult to bake and detrimental in achieving the target finished product moisture in a crisp cookie. However, in a chewy, moist cookie, that could be beneficial. The same could be said if you were selling the refrigerated cookie dough, again, a fiber’s high water capacity would be beneficial.”

Unwanted gritty and grainy textures as well as flavor off-notes can occur when adding certain fibers to baked goods, said Deanne Dick, director, fiber, ADM, although other fiber additions can be beneficial to a product’s texture or taste.

“Many consumers also associate fiber with digestive discomfort like bloating or gas,” she said. “Certain baked goods may also present their own formulation challenges when fiber is added. Sweet baked goods are generally more sensitive and delicate, especially when working with fiber solutions that may impart a coarser texture. On the other hand, hearty breads and multigrain snacks tend to lend well to greater fiber inclusion.”

Sensory expectations are important to consumers who are not willing to compromise on their healthy indulgences.

“Formulators need to make sure that the solutions they provide for fiber inclusion meet customer expectations,” said Kyle Krause, regional product manager, functional fibers and carbohydrates, North America, Beneo.

A common pitfall when formulating with fiber is not taking absorption into account, which can affect other ingredients in the formula besides fiber, said Brook Carson, vice president, R&D, Manildra Group USA.

“Some fibers require additional water to hydrate,” she said. “In this case, the rate of water addition, rest time and bake time may all need to be adjusted to account for the change.”

Added fiber can impact flavor but getting the right mix will work in the formulator’s favor if done correctly.

“The flavor impact can be positive or intentional, like when swapping white flour for rye wheat,” said Charolette Browder, product development project manager, Futureceuticals. “However, the impact can also be undesirable, which can happen when adding certain functional fibers for extra fiber in a baked good.”

 Flavor concerns may be remedied by switching to a fiber ingredient that better fits the baked items’ flavor profile or by attempting to mask the flavor with stronger or complementary flavors, she added.

The first step when formulating for a high-fiber baked product is to consider what is being taken out of the product to add fiber, said Thom King, chief executive officer, Icon Foods.

“If you’re pulling out wheat flours that contain gluten, you’re not going to be able to leverage the chemical benefits of gluten, such as elasticity and humectancy,” he said. “However, some fibers, especially in combination, can provide humectancy, such as soluble tapioca fiber and a variety of different types of inulin, but they generally do not provide elasticity like glutenous flour.”

Fiber could be added to baked goods either to provide functional help such as increased moisture and freshness or to fortify fiber content and aid in nutrition, said Darin Reid, applications scientist, Fiberstar Inc.

“When adding a fiber for total fiber dietary content fortification, the goal is to not reduce sensorial quality of the bread even though it has increased fiber content for health purposes,” Reid said. “When adding the fiber for moistness, emulsification or shelf life improvement benefits, the goal is to actually improve sensorial quality over time, which fibers containing a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber can do because of their ability to bind high quantities of both water and fat.”

Soluble fiber can contribute to a smoother texture, while insoluble fiber adds bulk to products, Dick said. Deciding between the two depends on the application and sensory and functional targets.

Fiber comes from a variety of sources that can be incorporated into products, and each brings different benefits.

“The widely used fibers in baked goods are grain cell wall materials such as bran, husk and hull, vegetable and fruit pulps, peels and other plant parts, as well as nondigestible oligosaccharides from natural resources such as chicory root, legumes and bulb vegetables, and those synthesized or derived from starch and glucose such as resistant oligosaccharides and polydextrose,” said Liyi Yang, senior associate, global applications, bakery, snacks and confectionary, Ingredion. “Based on solubility in water, fiber can be categorized as soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fibers can be incorporated into the liquid phase of the formulation, while insoluble fiber impacts all aspects of baking.”

She added that restoring functionality stripped by the addition of fibers can be achieved through a variety of tools.

“Depending on the properties of fiber introduced, vital wheat gluten, hydrocolloids and other texturizers can be used to strengthen the structure and bring back desired texture,” Yang said. “In addition, experimenting with order of addition to ensure proper hydration and/or avoid hydration of ingredients and baking process can further help optimize texture and mouthfeel.”

This article is an excerpt from the February 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Fiber, click here.