Question:medium
Which of the following dietary fiber is insoluble in water ?
Which of the following dietary fiber is insoluble in water ?
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Pectin
- Lignin
- Hemicellulose
- Cellulose
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Sort the fibers by how they meet water. Pectin is the textbook soluble, gel-forming fiber, so it is out. Hemicellulose interacts with water and retains it in stool, so it is excluded too. That narrows the answer to lignin.
Lignin stands apart because it is not even a carbohydrate, it is a dense, cross-linked aromatic polymer that simply will not dissolve in water. Functionally it works as an antioxidant, boosts bile-acid excretion and helps lower cholesterol. Cellulose is likewise water insoluble, but in this option set lignin is the recognised single best answer for an insoluble dietary fiber. Hence option 2.
Ref: DM Vasudevan, Textbook of Biochemistry, 6th edn.
Lignin stands apart because it is not even a carbohydrate, it is a dense, cross-linked aromatic polymer that simply will not dissolve in water. Functionally it works as an antioxidant, boosts bile-acid excretion and helps lower cholesterol. Cellulose is likewise water insoluble, but in this option set lignin is the recognised single best answer for an insoluble dietary fiber. Hence option 2.
Ref: DM Vasudevan, Textbook of Biochemistry, 6th edn.
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