Abstract
Tea residue is a by-product of tea processing and contains ∼ 60 % insoluble dietary fiber. We investigated the physicochemical properties and structure of the insoluble dietary fiber of tea (T-IDF), and its defecation function was evaluated. The physical and chemical indexes of the T-IDF, including its water holding, oil holding, swelling, cation exchange, and cholesterol exchange capacities, were measured, while its structure was analyzed by a range of analytical techniques. Furthermore, the related indexes of the animal defecation function were determined, and the in vitro detection of fermented short chain fatty acid was conducted. We found that T-IDF exhibits excellent physical and chemical properties. Moreover, the consumption of T-IDF significantly promoted defecation in slow transit intestinal dyskinesia mice and enhanced the production of short chain fatty acids. Overall, we demonstrated a good correlation between the physicochemical properties and the structure/function of T-IDF.