ABSTRACT
Psyllium, an acidic arabinoxylan obtained from Ispaghula husk (Plantago ovata Forsk), is used as a cathartic and dietary fiber ingredient to lower serum cholesterol and glycemic index. A component of the soluble dietary fiber (SDF) fraction, psyllium is determined indirectly as the xylitol acetate of the neutral polysaccharide residue by a modified capillary gas chromatographic (GC) method (994.13). Since most grains (oat, wheat, corn, and rice) utilized in cereal mixtures contain negligible amounts of xylose, its determination serves as a convenient tool for quantifying the psyllium ingredient added to ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals. Based on xylose analysis, excellent recoveries of the psyllium ingredient were obtained (76 to 109%). Repeatability (RSDs) ranging in value from 3.12 to 24.59 was consistent with the precision obtained by the official method (994.13) on which the present procedure is based.
