On May 30, 2014, the National Health and Family Planning Commission issued an announcement on the approval of 6 new food ingredients such as Tagatose (No. 10 of 2014), officially approving Tagatose, Chia seeds and round-bud psyllium husk as new food ingredients, and the requirements for round-bud psyllium husk are as follows:
Round-bracted psyllium, also known as foreign psyllium, is native to India and Iran, and is also cultivated in Mediterranean countries, such as France and Spain, with the best quality produced in India.
Psyllium husk is the seed shell of psyllium, also known as “psyllium husk powder” or “psyllium seed pods”. Because it is rich in soluble dietary fiber, it is widely used in medicines, health products, food and beverage products.

Nutritional Composition

1, Pod psyllium shell rich in gum (Mucilage, European psyllium hydrophilic gum), by the gum aldose, xylose, galacturonic acid, semi-dry fatty oils and a small amount of coral wood glycosides (Aucubine) composition.
2, round bracts of psyllium husk is rich in dietary fiber, up to 80% or more, and the ratio of soluble dietary fiber to insoluble dietary fiber is as high as 7:3.
3, a variety of nutrients: mainly including glucoside, protein, polysaccharide, vitamin B1 and choline. ‍

Suitable for people

1, constipation, gastrointestinal discomfort: round bud psyllium husk powder is a medicinal herb, because of its laxative effect, so it is very suitable for constipation, gastrointestinal discomfort.

2、High cholesterol: Psyllium husk powder can adsorb and wrap the cholesterol and toxic substances in the intestines, reduce the secondary absorption of cholesterol, accelerate the elimination of excess cholesterol in the body to be effectively removed.

3, diabetes value is high: round Pod psyllium husk powder of high fiber properties can reduce the risk of some people who may suffer from diabetes.

4, diarrhea: round Pod psyllium husk powder in the digestive tract to absorb a lot of water, so that the feces shape, and slow down the gastrointestinal tract through time, usually used to reduce moderate diarrhea. This aspect of the application has been a large number of scientific evidence.

5, want to lose weight, weight control: Pod psyllium husk powder and its high water retention and expansion of the gastrointestinal tract to produce volume effect, easy to produce a sense of satiety, reduce food intake. At the same time, it can inhibit the activity of carbohydrates, lipids, affecting the absorption in the small intestine.

Application in food

1. Application in health food
Psyllium husk has the effect of lowering fat, controlling body weight, laxative and laxative. At the same time, dietary fiber can inhibit the rapid rise of blood glucose after meals, reduce the demand for insulin stimulation, and play a role in regulating blood glucose. Therefore, it is widely used in health food.

2. Application in beverages
There are already a variety of beverages containing dietary fiber on the market. Psyllium husk contains a certain amount of insoluble dietary fiber, so it is mostly used in beverages in conjunction with fruit juices to offset the sensory differences caused by insoluble substances.

3. Application in meat products
The addition of Psyllium husk powder can obviously improve the water retention of minced meat, and when added in small amounts, it can also promote the stability of oil-water emulsification in minced meat, improve the oil retention of meat patties, and make the meat easier to mold. The water absorption of polysaccharide can also increase the product yield while improving the water retention. However, round bract psyllium husk powder also contains insoluble dietary fiber, so its addition is not easy to be too large, control at less than 1% can achieve the desired effect.

4. Application in bakery products
Psyllium husk is rich in soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber, the volume can be expanded dozens of times in contact with water to form a gel group, which can increase the sense of satiety. Psyllium husk is added to many bakery products, such as cookies, bread and breakfast cereals.

Limitations of Psyllium Husk?

1、Scarce source of raw materials
At present, most of the domestic psyllium husk is imported from India, and there are many equivalent pinto raw materials, such as konjac flour, lotus root flour, xanthan gum and even resistant dextrin can provide high levels of dietary fiber.

2, poor stability
Psyllium husk powder for ready-to-drink solid beverages, easy to form gel clusters when brewing, not easy to brew, solubility is relatively poor, bubble out of the bad appearance.

3、Risk of over-consumption
Pod psyllium has a strong viscosity in the esophagus, therefore, when consumed need to drink a lot of water to ensure that it does not form a blockage in the intestine. If you consume too much (without drinking more water), it may cause intestinal obstruction. Therefore, when consuming round bract psyllium products, especially capsules or pure powdered foods, it is usually important to drink plenty of water to ensure that the gastrointestinal tract is well hydrated. And start with a small amount and gradually increase the consumption to avoid bloating, abdominal cramps and abdominal distension caused by overdose.