The addition of fibres to fishery products is of great
interest not only as a means of improving the functionality
of food products, but also as a means to creating functional
foods with health benefits. From a technological point of
view, the introduction of fibres improves water binding,
thickening, emulsion capacity and gelling properties of
products made with minced muscle, especially where the
raw material used is of poor functional quality. In gels made
from surimi, adding dietary fibres does not always improve
gel characteristics, especially in high-grade surimi. The
antioxidant capacity of some dietary fibres is due to
their chelant action on metal ions, which is particularly
desirable in the case of products made from fatty fishes.
From a physiological point of view, the addition of dietary
fibre to a functional product like fish would further
complement its healthy characteristics, adding beneficial
effects such as reducing cholesterolaemia, modifying the
glucaemic response, reducing nutrient availability, prebiotic
capacity, etc.