GB2453994A

GB2453994A - The use of sclerenchyma cells as a dietary fibre food additive

Info

Publication number: GB2453994A
Application number: GB0720970A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Edward Banfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-26
Filing date: 2007-10-26
Publication date: 2009-04-29
Also published as: GB0720970D0

Abstract

The human digestive system has evolved over millions of years to match the naturally available diet of fruit, nuts and berries. These foods contain plenty of indigestible natural fibre. This invention relates to food additives to restore or increase the natural fibre in our modern foods, to promote healthy, regular digestion. The additives help to maintain the bulk of foods during digestion and thereby help to prevent over-eating. The additives are, primarily, the naturally occurring Sclerenchyma cells, particularly Sclereids such as the "stone" cells of pears and the seeds of the fig. The additives may also be artificially manufactured from natural materials such as cellulose, lignin etc. or from synthetic materials. The additives will reduce the need to eat bran cereals, fruits and vegetables. The additives may be used in breads and breakfast cereals, but can also be added to any food or drink, for human or animal consumption.

Description

Food Additives -Scierenchyma and Scereids

Introduction:

This invention relates to food additives to promote healthy digestion in humans, primarily, but also in pets and other animals.

Professional opinion is that the human digestive system thrives on a diet containing plenty of natural fibre, the important non- digestible substance in our food. The human digestive system has developed over millions of years to match the naturally available diet of fruit, nuts and berries. Any digestive difficulties, such as poor nutrient extraction or constipation, would not have been conducive to the the long-term survival of variants of the human species.

Cereals are a more recent addition to the human diet, when hunter-gatherers became farmers. The human digestive system has. perhaps, not yet fully evolved to accommodate these new foods. Hence cereals are known to cause irritation, allergies and illnesses in some people. Dietary fibre and food additives based on the components of cereals, e.g. bran, are therefore not perfect for the digestive systems of humans and some animals.

Similarly, though some wild vegetables have been eaten for millennia, the consumption of newer, cultivated vegetables is a recent addition to the human diet. Again, there is the possibility of incompatibility for some people. especially with non-indigenous vegetables. There is also the difficulty with vegetables not being to everyones taste.

In the Western world, through the 1900s. there was a tendency towards refining our food and removing natural fibre.

However, in the 21st century, the trend is to retain or replace fibre, wherever possible.

Natural and artificial food additives are variously claimed to improve healthy eating and reduce digestive problems, diseases and illnesses. Existing additives may suffer from disadvantages such as unpleasant taste or texture. They may not be particularly popular or fashionable. They may cause unpredictable and unpleasant side-effects. They may be of uncertain effectiveness.

There are many studies showing the healthy benefits of a high fibre diet and professional organisations are now recommending a human diet containing 20.. 35 grams of fibre per day. A recent recommendation is to eat "5 portions per day" of fruit and vegetables, However, eating this amount of fruit and vegetables every day may be problematic.

especially with modem lifestyles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide improved food additives, based on naturally occurring substances. The purpose of the additives is to restore or increase the natural fibre in our foods and to reduce the need for high-bran cereals or "5 portions per day" of fruit and vegctables. The additives help to maintain the bulk of foods during digestion and thereby help to prevent over-eating. The addilives may use harvested, naturally-occurnng substances or artificial substitutes made from natural or synthetic materials.

The additives may be used in breads and breakfast cereals, in particular, but can be added to any food, solid or liquid.

for human or animal consumption.

Specification:

Dietary fibre found in natural foods can be soluble or insoluble in water. All are presumed to be beneficial to health in some way. Various claims are made for various types of dietary fibre: -helps maintain normal blood pressure levels.

-promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine -scrapes away toxic food residue from the insides of the intestines and colon.

-aids digestion and promotes overall bowel regularity -increases the bulk of the intestinal waste forming larger, softer stools that move more naturally through the colon.

-traditional diets in Asia and the Mediterranean are healthy because they are high in fibre content.

-helps moderate glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood.

-prevents re-absorption of toxins from the gut.

-discourages over-eating as the bulk of a high fibre meal keeps you feeling full for longer.

-helps with weight management as the fibre contains almost no calories.

-fibre from different sources provides different micro-nutrients.

-reduces the nsk of major diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, o.steoarthrjtis and cancers.

-improves the performance of the immune system.

-etc. etc. It is the purpose of the present invention to concentrate on the types of dietary fibre found in natural fruits, nuts and berries which appear to have the most beneficial effect on the efficient operation and regularity of the digestive system.

Whilst cereal based fibres, such as bran, have been shown to be effective, it was the fibre in naturally available fruit.

nuts and berries that steered the evolution of the human and animal digestive systems. From the choice of available foods, it is those with high proportions of non-soluble fibre that have been shown to have the highest effectiveness.

Insoluble fibres are typically formed from cellulose and lignin.

From standard botany textbooks: Scierenchyma cells are the principal supporting cel]s in plant parts. They exist both as fibres and sciereids. Their walls consist of cellulose and/or ligriin. Mature sclerenchyrna is composed of dead cells with extremely thick cell walls that make up a large percentage of the whole cell volume. The term "scierenchyma" is derived from the Greek "scleros", meaning hard". It is their hard, thick walls that make scierenchyma cells important strengthening and supporting elements in plant parts that have ceased elongation.

Fibres are generally long and slender, usually occurring in strands or bundles.

Sciereids are variable in shape, being forked or complexly branched, and relatively short. Characteristic examples are the stone' cells, so-called because of their hardness, of pears (Pyrus communis) and quinces (Cydonia oblonga) and those of the shoot of the wax plant (Hoya carnosa). The cell walls fill nearly all the cell's volume.

The shells of many seeds and nuts, and the stones of drupes like cherries or plums are made up from sciereids.

It is the purpose of the present invention to use various types of naturally occurring Sclerenchyma cells, but particularly sclereids, as food additives. Common examples, with well known benefits to regular digestion, are the stone cells of pears and the hollow, crunchy seeds of the fig (ficus). The sclerenchyma cells may also be artificially manufactured from natural materials (cellulose, lignin etc.) or from synthetic materials.

$mmary: The food addnives are scierenchynia cells, especially sclereids, from natural sources.

The food additives can also be made from natural substances derived from a wide range of vegetable, animal & mineral sources.

The food additives can also be made from synthetic substances.

The food additives can be made in various shapes, sizes and textures to suit the usage and the accompanying food type.

The food additives can provide the fibre equivalent of "5 helpings a day' in one dish of cereal, one slice of bread, or one glass of drink.

The additives help to maintain the bulk of foods during digestion and thereby help to prevent over-eating.

The additives can be used to enhance the green credentials" of the food manufacturer.

The various textures of the additives can be an added marketing instrument for childrens cereals e.g. the crunchy" seeds of the fig. The additives can also be used in pet and animal foods and drinks.

Claims

I. The invention is additives for foods and drinks, for humans and animals, based on naturally occurring dietary fibre known as scierenchyma cells, and especially sclereids.
2. The additives, as claimed in claim I, utilise the naturally occurring fibres and seeds from various plants, fruits, nuts & bemcs, such as pcars and figs.
3. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, can be artificial copies of naturally occurring fibres and seeds.
4. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, can be formed from natural or synthetic materials.
5. The additives, as claimed in any proceeding claim, are a naturally effective form of roughage and dietary fibre.
6. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, can restore or increase the natural fibre in foods and drinks.
7. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, help to maintain the bulk of foods during digestion and thereby help to prevent over-eating.
8. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, have elements which can be made in various shapes, sizes and colours to suit the usage and the accompanying food and drink types.
9. The additives, as claimed in any preceeding claim, can be made crunchy' or can be made with various other textures.