Linking particle morphology and functionality of colloid-milled dietary fibre concentrates from various plant sources

Dietary Fibre Concentrates (DFCs) can be obtained from various agro-food by-products. The origin of DFCs is hypothesized to influence their functional properties and thus potential applications. The study aimed to investigate the functional behaviour of DFCs from six sources upon colloid milling. The functionality of DFCs obtained from asparagus and orange peel showed significant improvement after colloid milling, while less effect for other sources (i.e., barley bran, licorice residue, pea fibres and corn cob). All six DFCs comprised a high proportion of insoluble fibre, while the total fibre content varies from 47.12 to 86.24 g/100 g. Total fibre content affected the functional properties, whereas the DFC particle morphology appeared to have the largest effect for the six DFCs. Fibre particles obtained from asparagus and orange peel DFCs showed increased degree of fibrousness and particle elongation after colloid milling, led to the significant improvement of functionality. Conversely, fibre particles derived from other sources exhibit denser micro-structures that are unaffected by colloid milling. We therefore conclude that the change in morphological properties of DFCs particles could be linked to the functional behaviour of colloid-milled samples.