Dietary fiber imparts both mutritional and functional properties to foods. This review deals with (1) the classification of dietary fiber, (2) the plant cell wall models, (3) the relations between structure and physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fiber and (4) the applications of dietary fiber in foods. Dietary fiber can be classified in terms of source, plant function, solubility, charge and topology. Plant cell wall models are presented to provide information on the interconnections of dietary fiber components which determines the content of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber content. In reality, physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fiber originate factors such as chemical constituents , charge, branching degree, conformation and etc. Dietary fibers possess a variety of functional properties in food systems, which thus make them useful in food application. In particular, rheology and gelation of water-soluble gums or hydrocolloids are discussed for their effects on food quality. A guideline s also listed for the gum selection to meet the best product requirements.