Abstract Several health benefits are associated with adequate intake of dietary fibre; however, the constitution of the fibre fraction is different for each vegetable, which influences their physico-chemical properties and, consequently, their physiological effects on the human organism. The present study evaluated the effect of different sources of dietary fibre from by-products of fruit processing on biological responses in rats. Male Wistar rats (21 days old) were fed for 40 days with diets supplemented with apple pomace, orange bagasse and passion fruit peel, in place of the cellulose present in the control treatment. The consumption of the diets containing fruit fibres significantly reduced levels of serum triglycerides and hepatic cholesterol and contributed to the control of postprandial glycaemia, particularly with the treatment with orange bagasse (OB). The animals fed the OB and passion fruit peel (PFP) diets showed significantly lower fasting blood glucose levels compared with the control animals. The consumption of the test diets promoted changes in parameters important for intestinal health, such as reduced faecal pH and increased faecal moisture. Dietary fibre from the by-products of fruit processing possess intrinsic mechanisms that synergistically contribute to their nutritional potential, making them promising for human nutrition.