ID 1236 - Beta-glukany

PL: Beta-glukany
EN: Beta-glucan
Pdf: various food(s)/food constituent(s)

1. Charakterystyka żywności / składnika

The foods/food constituents that are the subject of the health claims are “barley grain fibre”, “oat grain fibre”, “oats beta-glucan”, “barley beta-glucan”, “barre céréalière diététique contenant de l'avoine”, and “oatbran and oatbran products”.
From the conditions of use and references provided, the Panel assumes that the food constituent responsible for the claimed effects is beta-glucans from oats and barley.
Beta-glucans are soluble cereal fibres. They are non-starch polysaccharides composed of glucose molecules in long linear glucose polymers with mixed β-(1→4) and β-(1→3) links with an approximate distribution of 30 % to 70 %. Their molecular weight varies from 50 to 2,000 kDa. Beta-glucans occur naturally in the bran of cereal grasses such as barley (~7 %), oats (~5 %), rye and wheat (1-2 %), and are measurable in foods by established methods. This opinion applies to beta- glucans naturally present in foods, and added to foods.
The mixed linkages are important for their physical properties, such as solubility and viscosity. Their viscosity is a function of the concentration of dissolved beta-glucans, and of their molecular weight (Wood et al., 2000), and further depends on differences in raw materials, processing and methods of determination.
The Panel considers that the food constituent, beta-glucans from oats and barley, which is the subject of the health claims, is sufficiently characterised.

2.1. Utrzymanie prawidłowego stężenia cholesterolu LDL we krwi (ID 1236, 1299)

The claimed effects are “fibres solubles (beta-glucane) et cholestérol sanguin” and “blood cholesterol level”. The Panel assumes that the target population is the general population.
In the context of the proposed wordings, the Panel assumes that the claimed effects refer to the maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations.
A claim on beta-glucans and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations has already been assessed with a favourable outcome (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), 2009).

Warunki i możliwe ograniczenia stosowania oświadczenia

750 mg de beta-glucane par portion soit au moins 1 portion par jour