Dietary carbohydrates: a trade-off between appealing organoleptic and physicochemical properties and ability to control glucose release and weight management

The current public health framework promotes fiber increase and simple sugar decrease intakes as part of a healthy diet. This scenario has sparked the interest in the use of nondigestible or slowly digestible carbohydrates and low-calorie sweeteners. Nowadays, there is still insufficient information on physicochemical properties and structural features of nondigestible carbohydrates that prevent us from understanding the underlying causal mechanisms leading to health benefits. We describe recent findings about the role of fiber viscosity and distal small intestinal digestion of carbohydrates in gastric emptying, postprandial glycemic response, and weight management. Furthermore, the role of terpenoid glycosides, polyols, and rare sugars as simple sugar replacers, and how challenging it is to meet acceptable sensorial properties and desirable functionality in a single carbohydrate is also discussed.