Dietary fibres as functional food ingredients MCQs With Answer

Dietary fibres as functional food ingredients MCQs With Answer

Dietary fibres are non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin that impart health benefits beyond basic nutrition. For B.Pharm students, understanding physicochemical properties (solubility, viscosity, fermentability), major types (cellulose, pectin, beta-glucan, inulin, resistant starch, psyllium), mechanisms (bile acid binding, glycemic modulation, SCFA production), analytical methods (AOAC enzymatic–gravimetric assays), formulation roles (texture, stabilization, fat replacement) and regulatory claims is essential for developing functional foods and nutraceuticals. This concise, keyword-rich set of questions emphasizes clinical effects (cholesterol, bowel health, prebiotic action), extraction and processing challenges, and formulation strategies. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. What is the most accepted definition of dietary fibre?

• Digestible starches and sugars absorbed in the small intestine
• Non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin intrinsic and intact in plants
• Only soluble polysaccharides added to foods
• Proteins that resist digestion

Correct Answer: Non-digestible carbohydrates and lignin intrinsic and intact in plants

Q2. How are dietary fibres commonly classified based on physicochemical properties?

• Essential and non-essential fibres
• Simple and complex fibres
• Soluble and insoluble fibres
• Synthetic and natural fibres

Correct Answer: Soluble and insoluble fibres

Q3. Which soluble fibre is best known for lowering serum LDL cholesterol by bile acid binding?

• Cellulose
• Pectin
• Lignin
• Cellobiose

Correct Answer: Pectin

Q4. What primary mechanism allows viscous soluble fibres to reduce postprandial blood glucose?

• Enhancing pancreatic insulin secretion directly
• Increasing gastric emptying rate
• Forming viscous gels that slow gastric emptying and intestinal glucose absorption
• Blocking glucose transporters in hepatocytes

Correct Answer: Forming viscous gels that slow gastric emptying and intestinal glucose absorption

Q5. Which statement best defines a prebiotic?

• A compound that indiscriminately kills gut bacteria
• A selectively fermented ingredient that changes gut microbiota to confer health benefits
• A live microorganism added to food
• An indigestible protein that binds bile acids

Correct Answer: A selectively fermented ingredient that changes gut microbiota to confer health benefits

Q6. What are the main short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by microbial fermentation of fibres?

• Acetate, propionate, and butyrate
• Laurate, myristate, and palmitate
• Lactic acid only
• Formate, oxalate, and citrate

Correct Answer: Acetate, propionate, and butyrate

Q7. Which analytical approach is widely used to measure total dietary fibre in foods?

• Gas chromatography of monosaccharides without prior hydrolysis
• Enzymatic–gravimetric methods (e.g., AOAC enzymatic–gravimetric assays)
• Protein Kjeldahl method
• Direct calorimetry

Correct Answer: Enzymatic–gravimetric methods (e.g., AOAC enzymatic–gravimetric assays)

Q8. Which food is a rich source of beta-glucan used as a functional ingredient?

• Oats and barley
• Spinach
• Chicken breast
• Table sugar

Correct Answer: Oats and barley

Q9. How can high dietary fibre intake affect oral drug absorption?

• Always increases absorption of all drugs
• Has no effect on any drug
• Can reduce absorption of some drugs by binding or delaying transit
• Converts drugs into inactive metabolites in the stomach

Correct Answer: Can reduce absorption of some drugs by binding or delaying transit

Q10. Which fibre type is particularly fermented to produce butyrate, a colonocyte energy source?

• Resistant starch
• Sucrose
• Simple glucose
• Casein

Correct Answer: Resistant starch

Q11. The water-holding capacity of a fibre largely affects which physiological outcome?

• Blood oxygen carrying capacity
• Stool bulk and stool water content
• Serum creatinine levels
• Pancreatic enzyme secretion

Correct Answer: Stool bulk and stool water content

Q12. What is the commonly recommended daily intake range of dietary fibre for adults?

• 2–5 g/day
• 10–15 g/day
• 25–38 g/day
• 100–120 g/day

Correct Answer: 25–38 g/day

Q13. Psyllium husk is best described as which type of functional ingredient?

• An insoluble abrasive fibre
• A mucilaginous, viscous soluble fibre used as a bulk-forming laxative
• A digestible carbohydrate with high glycemic index
• A proteinaceous emulsifier

Correct Answer: A mucilaginous, viscous soluble fibre used as a bulk-forming laxative

Q14. Which viscous fibre is most effective at reducing postprandial glucose in clinical studies?

• Guar gum
• Lignin
• Microcrystalline cellulose
• Sodium chloride

Correct Answer: Guar gum

Q15. Which of the following is an example of an insoluble dietary fibre?

• Pectin
• Cellulose
• Inulin
• Beta-glucan

Correct Answer: Cellulose

Q16. Which structural property mainly determines the viscosity of a soluble polysaccharide in solution?

• Molecular weight and chain conformation (degree of polymerization)
• Protein content of the source
• Amount of inorganic ash
• Color and odor of the polysaccharide

Correct Answer: Molecular weight and chain conformation (degree of polymerization)

Q17. Which SCFA is the preferred energy source for colonocytes and supports colonic health?

• Acetate
• Propionate
• Butyrate
• Lactate

Correct Answer: Butyrate

Q18. Which fibre has robust evidence and regulatory recognition for reducing blood cholesterol when consumed at effective doses?

• Beta-glucan from oats
• Refined sucrose
• Saturated animal fat
• Table salt

Correct Answer: Beta-glucan from oats

Q19. What is a major formulation challenge when incorporating high levels of soluble fibre into beverages?

• Excessive alcohol production
• Increased viscosity and potential phase separation affecting mouthfeel
• Instant crystallization of sugars
• Complete loss of water

Correct Answer: Increased viscosity and potential phase separation affecting mouthfeel

Q20. Which component of plant cell walls is largely non-fermentable and classed as insoluble fibre?

• Inulin
• Lignin
• Pectin
• Fructooligosaccharides

Correct Answer: Lignin

Q21. How can certain dietary fibres influence mineral bioavailability?

• All fibres universally increase mineral absorption
• Some fibres may reduce absorption by binding minerals or increasing transit time
• Fibres convert minerals into vitamins
• Fibres have no interaction with minerals

Correct Answer: Some fibres may reduce absorption by binding minerals or increasing transit time

Q22. Which fibre is categorized chemically as a fructan and widely used as a prebiotic?

• Cellulose
• Inulin
• Chitosan
• Pectin

Correct Answer: Inulin

Q23. Which laboratory approach separates soluble and insoluble dietary fibre fractions for analysis?

• Enzymatic–gravimetric separation following AOAC-type procedures
• UV-visible spectroscopy without sample preparation
• Direct titration of fibre in water
• NMR of intact food only

Correct Answer: Enzymatic–gravimetric separation following AOAC-type procedures

Q24. Degree of polymerization (DP) of oligosaccharides most directly affects which functional property?

• Color of the food
• Fermentability and prebiotic selectivity
• Melting point of fats
• Protein denaturation temperature

Correct Answer: Fermentability and prebiotic selectivity

Q25. Which fibre ingredient is commonly used as a fat replacer to improve mouthfeel in low-fat dairy products?

• Inulin
• Table sugar
• Casein hydrolysate
• Sodium bicarbonate

Correct Answer: Inulin

Q26. Which fibre source is most strongly associated with increasing stool weight and decreasing transit time?

• Wheat bran
• Sugar alcohols
• Short-chain fatty acids
• Oils and fats

Correct Answer: Wheat bran

Q27. What best describes a synbiotic formulation?

• A pharmaceutical antibiotic combined with fibre
• A food containing both probiotics (live microbes) and prebiotics that support them
• A synthetic fibre chemically modified for taste
• An inert filler with no biological activity

Correct Answer: A food containing both probiotics (live microbes) and prebiotics that support them

Q28. Regulatory guidance suggests what minimum daily intake of oat beta-glucan to support a cholesterol-lowering claim?

• 0.5 g/day
• 3 g/day
• 20 g/day
• 50 g/day

Correct Answer: 3 g/day

Q29. Which technological strategy helps protect sensitive prebiotic fibres during high-temperature processing?

• Microencapsulation of the fibre
• Adding large amounts of table salt
• Exposing to ultraviolet light
• Drying at extremely high temperatures without protection

Correct Answer: Microencapsulation of the fibre

Q30. Which statement correctly describes resistant starch?

• It is fully digested in the small intestine like regular starch
• It resists small intestinal digestion and is fermented in the colon producing SCFAs
• It is a form of animal-derived protein
• It is identical to sucrose in metabolic effect

Correct Answer: It resists small intestinal digestion and is fermented in the colon producing SCFAs

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