STA-LITE Polydextrose -Tate & Lyle

STA-LITE Polydextrose is a soluble fiber ingredient manufactured by Tate & Lyle. It has a high level of dietary fibre, prebiotic properties and a low glycaemic response. The product is aimed at manufacturers wanting to achieve increased fiber content in finished food applications without compromising on taste, forming part of Tate & Lyle’s Enrich nutritional program.

The main applications are:
- Increased fiber content in dairy products
- Increased fiber content in beverages
- Increased fiber content in baked goods
- Increased fiber content in snacks

Properties
Tate & Lyle positions STA-LITE Polydextrose as a premium ingredient that can serve as a low-calorie bulking agent at just 1 kcal/g - and may be used as a full calorie replacement agent. The product is well-tolerated and clean-tasting and may be ideal for reduced-calorie, no added sugar and sugar-free foods. Its main benefits are using fiber for weight management - due to its low calorie content - and using fiber for digestive health, as it is used to stimulate the bowel function and the production of the short chain fatty acids that tend to be associated with a sound digestive system.

STA-LITE Polydextrose remains stable throughout processing and storage and dissolves in up to 80 per cent solids. STA-LITE III WS and WSC Polydextrose is available in dry powder form, either in regular (WS) or coarser (WSC) granulation. STA-LITE III WSL Polydextrose, meanwhile, comes in liquid form.

The officially recognised mean threshold for STA-LITE Polydextrose is 90g per day, or 50g as a single dose for adults. It conforms to the European Union's definition of dietary fibre and may allow food manufacturers to make health claims on fiber content on products containing STA-LITE Polydextrose. It can be a source of fiber or high fiber, depending on how much is used and the labelling rules of the geographical market in question.

Ingredient applications
Tate & Lyle's STA-LITE Polydextrose product can be used to boost fiber content in products such as bars and snacks, biscuits and cookies, breakfast cereals and cereal coatings, fruit fillings, yogurts, and ice creams and frozen desserts. Fiber can also be increased in milk drinks, ready-to-drink beverages and concentrates, chocolate and sugar confectionery, and sauces and dressings, which may also benefit from the inclusion of STA-LITE Polydextrose. Some of STA-LITE Polydextrose's rheological features can be similar to sucrose.

History
Tate & Lyle's AE Staley arm began manufacturing STA-LITE Polydextrose in 1993. In 2007, Tate & Lyle increased its production capacity for the ingredient by 30 per cent after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US extended the approval of polydextrose as a bulking agent, formulation aid, humectant, and texturiser in most foods. The company announced plans to invest in a new polydextrose production line at one of its starch facilities in the Netherlands in 2008, making the plant one of the first of its type in Europe with the capacity to make a range of different soluble fibres. Because production is localised, the supply chain is shorter. Research commissioned by Tate & Lyle in the same year found that two-thirds of parents believe fiber to be an important component in their child's diet and that 76 per cent of Europeans see good digestive health as the main benefit of fibre consumption. Four in ten respondents said they were worried that products with higher fibre content would affect taste.

Company information
Tate & Lyle is one of the biggest manufacturers of food ingredients in the world. It was established in the UK in 1912 - although its history stretches back to the 19th century through the separate cane sugar refining operations of Henry Tate and Abram Lyle - and makes sugars, sucralose and industrial ingredients. The company uses renewable crops in all of its ingredients, mostly maize and sugar cane. Its main ingredient products include food and industrial starches, corn sweeteners, syrups, molasses, acidulants and biogums. It has operations across Europe, the Americas and south-east Asia and employs more than 5,700 people.