Dietary fiber in industrial tomato residue and its effects on glycaemic response and seric cholesterol in rats
Alvarado, M.; Pacheco-Delahaye, E.; Schnell, M.; Hevia, P.
Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion 49(2): 138-142
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-0622 PMID: 10488392 Document Number: 501363
The left over after ketchup sauce is obtained is a tomato residue (RIT) that contains skin and seeds. Proximal analysis of the flour of this industrial product reveals that it has 50% dietary fiber, 18% protein and 10% fat. Due to the high dietary fiber content the effect on glucose absorption and seric cholesterol was studied. Sprague-Dawley rats were given an intragastric meal after a 12 hours fast containing 263 g tomato residue flour (RIT)/diet or a control meal (0% RIT) and glucose plasma levels were determined. Results show that the presence of RIT in the test meal flattened glucose response curves. Ad lib administration of four diets differing in RIT content to four groups of rats for 18 days showed that although animals on a high RIT diet ate increased amounts of cholesterol the plasma lipid levels remained constant which suggest that the presence of RIT fibre on the diet is responsible for this effect. The results reported in this paper suggest that the dietary fiber of RIT diminishes glucose absorption and reduces seric cholesterol levels, which in turn could be useful in the treatment of NIDD and hypercholesterolaemic patients.