Guar gum forms gel with water, is rather viscous, and thus unsuitable for therapeutic uses (e.g. in liquid enteral nutrition). Benefiber is a partially-hydrolized (in vitro by the enzyme endo-B-mannase) guar gum, which is a soluble fiber. It is expected that Benefiber will be readily utilized by colonic microflora with the production of the same products of fermentation as the guar gum. The partial hydrolysis of the guar gum (e.g. Benefiber) results in significant reduction in the viscosity of the solution. It is also expected that it will not cause any delay in gastric emptying and also will not interfere with normal absorption of macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat). In one study (38), the addition of Benefiber to a liquid formulation of diet significantly delayed the colonic transit time without affecting the oro-caecal transit time. The result of another recent study (39) in Liestal, Switzerland observed that the Benefiber did not affect the absorption of glucose, amino acid and fat.