Several health benefits are associated with adequate intake of dietary fibre; however, the constitution of
the fibre fraction is different for each vegetable, which influences their physico-chemical properties and,
consequently, their physiological effects on the human organism. The present study evaluated the effect
of different sources of dietary fibre from by-products of fruit processing on biological responses in rats.
Male Wistar rats (21 days old) were fed for 40 days with diets supplemented with apple pomace, orange
bagasse and passion fruit peel, in place of the cellulose present in the control treatment. The consumption
of the diets containing fruit fibres significantly reduced levels of serum triglycerides and hepatic
cholesterol and contributed to the control of postprandial glycaemia, particularly with the treatment
with orange bagasse (OB). The animals fed the OB and passion fruit peel (PFP) diets showed significantly
lower fasting blood glucose levels compared with the control animals. The consumption of the
test diets promoted changes in parameters important for intestinal health, such as reduced faecal pH and
increased faecal moisture. Dietary fibre from the by-products of fruit processing possess intrinsic mechanisms
that synergistically contribute to their nutritional potential, making them promising for human
nutrition