TY - CHAP AU - Marina Dello Staffolo AU - Alicia E. Bevilacqua AU - María Susana Rodríguez AU - Liliana Albertengo ED - Desiree Nedra Karunaratne Y1 - 2012-10-31 PY - 2012 T1 - Dietary Fiber and Availability of Nutrients: A Case Study on Yoghurt as a Food Model N2 - The complex world of polysaccharides is a compilation of the characteristics of a variety of polysaccharides from plants, animals and microorganisms. The diversity of these polysaccharides arises from the structural variations and the monosaccharide content which is under genetic control. The chemical and physical properties have made them useful in many pharmaceutical, food and industrial applications. These properties of the polysaccharides determine their biological activity and their function in various applications. The role played by polysaccharides in preservation and protection of food, as carriers of nutrients and drugs, their ability to interact with molecules both for efficient delivery as well as improving textures of food colloids and their use as therapeutics are some of the functions discussed. BT - The Complex World of Polysaccharides SP - Ch. 17 UR - https://doi.org/10.5772/54031 DO - 10.5772/54031 SN - PB - IntechOpen CY - Rijeka Y2 - 2024-04-25 ER -