Definition:

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NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber Health Benefits:

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber is a natural dietary fiber extracted from the by-products of citrus fruits, such as oranges, pomelos, lemons, and limes. It is a high-performance ingredient that combines colloidal properties with fiber functionality. Due to its unique gelling capabilities and clean label attributes, citrus fiber is a rapidly growing alternative to synthetic gelling agents in the food industry.

Particularities of NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber:

Product Specifications:

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Product quality standards:

● Food grade, In-house

▶ Gut health

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber Applications:

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber is rich in insoluble fiber, such as cellulose and hemicellulose. This increases stool volume, stimulates intestinal peristalsis, and accelerates stool excretion. It effectively relieves constipation. Its soft texture also minimizes irritation to the intestinal mucosa, making it suitable for long-term intestinal function regulation. Soluble fiber, such as pectin, serves as food for intestinal probiotics, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. This promotes their proliferation, inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, maintains intestinal microecological balance, enhances intestinal barrier function, and reduces the risk of intestinal inflammation.

■ Source

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber is primarily extracted from the peel of citrus fruits, such as pomelos, oranges, and lemons. It is a byproduct of citrus juice extraction and other processing methods, which makes it widely available and sustainable. The peel is the main raw material. After juicing, the waste peel (which accounts for 60% of the fruit) undergoes de-bittering treatment for extraction, resulting in a high fiber content. Pulp residue consists of the remaining fruit flesh and membranes after juicing and contains soluble polysaccharides and pectin.

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber is available in the following specification and contents:

☑  NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber powder 90%

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber is a natural, healthy, functional additive that improves the nutritional value of food products, enhances texture, and extends shelf life. When added to meat and seafood products, citrus fiber enhances water and oil retention, reducing moisture and fat loss during heating. This makes the products more tender and juicy while reducing shrinkage and improving sliceability. In seafood products, such as fish balls and shrimp paste, citrus fiber forms a network structure with proteins. This enhances elasticity, prevents cracking after freezing, and extends shelf life. Citrus fiber can partially replace minced meat or fat, reducing raw material costs without affecting taste while increasing dietary fiber content and enhancing health attributes. In dairy products and plant-based protein beverages, citrus fiber prevents fat separation or protein precipitation. This improves product uniformity and stability. It is particularly suitable for low-fat or fat-free dairy products. It increases product viscosity and smoothness by forming a fine gel structure, which masks the coarse texture or bitterness of plant proteins.

Adding citrus fiber to baked goods increases the dough's water retention and extensibility, resulting in a softer finished product with a delayed hardening process and an extended shelf life. Replacing some of the flour or oil with citrus fiber reduces calorie intake while increasing the dietary fiber and mineral content, which aligns with the "low-sugar, high-fiber" health trend. In whole grain baked goods, citrus fiber can mitigate coarse texture and improve palatability. In juices and functional beverages, citrus fiber can serve as a natural thickener, preventing fruit pulp particles from settling and enhancing the beverage's richness. In jellies, citrus fiber can partially replace gelatin to form a gel structure with moderate elasticity that is suitable for vegetarian or low-sugar products. In tomato sauce, salad dressing, and mayonnaise, citrus fiber can replace some of the starch or fat.

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber can be processed into tablets, powders, or capsules as a dietary supplement containing high fiber. This allows consumers to conveniently increase their fiber intake, which can alleviate constipation and regulate blood lipids. Due to its high satiety properties, citrus fiber can be added to meal replacement shakes and energy bars to reduce calorie intake and promote weight loss. Citrus fiber combined with probiotics and prebiotics can be formulated into gut health products that promote intestinal health through two mechanisms: by encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria and by enhancing intestinal motility.

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber's gel-forming and adsorbent properties make it a suitable drug carrier. It can enable controlled drug release and the adsorption of toxins and excess cholesterol in the intestines. This aids in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and intestinal toxicity. In oral liquid formulations, citrus fiber can serve as a suspending agent, preventing drug particles from settling and ensuring uniformity. Adding citrus fiber to animal feed improves intestinal function, enhances feed conversion efficiency, and reduces fecal odor. The natural fiber structure of citrus fiber improves soil aeration and water retention, promoting plant growth. As an organic material, citrus fiber increases soil fertility upon degradation.

■ Structural Characteristics

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber contains many bioactive components, including vitamin C, polyphenols, flavonoids, and soluble and insoluble fibers. Insoluble fiber is the primary component. NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber's surface is covered with microporous structures that rapidly expand upon water absorption, forming a three-dimensional gel network. These molecules contain both hydrophobic (e.g., lignin fragments) and hydrophilic (e.g., hydroxyl) groups, which give them emulsifying capabilities. Citrus peel fiber structures have an exceptional ability to hold water and form gels that are thermally irreversible. NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber can absorb large amounts of water, increasing the moisture content of foods and keeping them moist. This extends their shelf life and improves their texture. Within a certain temperature range, the properties of citrus fiber remain relatively stable. It is capable of withstanding thermal processing during food production, such as baking or steaming, without degrading or deteriorating. Citrus peel fiber is highly resistant to acids, heat, and shear. After shear homogenization, it forms a three-dimensional network structure that maintains its functional properties under various food processing conditions.

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber contains soluble fiber that forms a gel-like substance in the intestines. This substance envelops the carbohydrates in food, slowing the release and absorption of glucose. This reduces postprandial blood sugar peaks and helps control blood sugar fluctuations. This makes citrus fiber particularly suitable for people with diabetes or those sensitive to blood sugar levels. Consuming citrus fiber long term can improve the body's insulin response, regulate sugar metabolism, and reduce the risk of diseases related to insulin resistance.

▶ Blood sugar control

Ingredients:

● Citrus peel fiber and does not contain any other additives.

Soluble fiber, such as pectin, binds with bile acids in the intestines and promotes their excretion from the body. In order to replenish the lost bile acids, the liver uses cholesterol from the blood to synthesize new bile acids. This process lowers total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the blood, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Antioxidant components in citrus fiber, such as flavonoids, work synergistically with the fiber to reduce vascular endothelial damage, inhibit platelet aggregation, lower the risk of thrombosis, and protect the cardiovascular system.

▶ Cardiovascular health

■ Technical characteristics

The production method for NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber uses citrus processing byproducts, such as orange, grapefruit, and lemon peels, and removes impurities and extracts fibers through a series of physical, chemical, or biological treatments. The goal of this process is to retain the functional properties of the fibers, such as water and oil retention and gelation, while achieving efficient industrial production. If using fresh peel from citrus juice extraction or canned processing as the raw material, first rinse the peel with clean water to remove surface dirt, residual pesticides, and juice impurities. If necessary, the peel can be soaked in a weak alkaline solution to assist in cleaning, followed by rinsing with clean water until neutral. Citrus peel contains bitter substances, such as naringin and limonin, which require processing to reduce bitterness. Common methods include hot water extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and acid-base treatment. The pretreated peel is then crushed into small pieces using a crusher or pulper. If the peel is hard, steam cooking can soften the cell walls and improve fiber extraction efficiency. Depending on product requirements and cost considerations, fiber extraction and separation can be carried out using physical, chemical, or enzymatic methods. Physical methods are the most common process. After crushing, the fruit peel undergoes pressing or centrifugal separation to remove some of the moisture and soluble sugars, yielding a solid residue rich in fiber. This residue is then filtered through screens of various mesh sizes to remove small fruit pulp particles and impurities. Then, the residue is repeatedly washed with clean water to remove residual sugars, acids, and other soluble components until the wash solution is neutral. Chemical methods are generally used for auxiliary purification. Enzymatic hydrolysis is environmentally friendly but costly, making it suitable for high-end products.

NutuFibraz®Citrus peel fiber, especially soluble fiber, expands after absorbing water. This increases the volume of stomach contents, prolongs gastric emptying time, and sends a “satiety” signal to the brain. These effects reduce appetite and total calorie intake, which helps control weight or aids in weight loss. Its low-calorie, high-fiber characteristics enrich the feeling of fullness without adding excessive calories, making it suitable for replacing high-calorie ingredients, such as fats.

▶ Weight management