Sponsored Content

Stand out from the shelf and put Health First with Prebiotic Chicory Root Fibres

If you are looking to differentiate from all other products on the market, then innovating with proven prebiotics should be your next New Product Development. When it comes to food and drink choices, consumers often take into consideration a manifold of factors, from price to health benefits, convenience to taste. But figures from Mintel show that when it comes to defining the value of products, people rank health benefits and natural ingredients higher than a lower price, even in this economic climate.

Supporting Health with the Help of Prebiotics

According to the international consensus definition (by ISAPP), a prebiotic is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”Prebiotics help the good bacteria which are already naturally present in the body to grow. Consumers increasingly recognize the relevance of the gut microbiome. In fact, BENEO’s 2023 survey revealed that about 6 out of 10 consumers in the US associate prebiotics with being healthy and think these support digestive health (in Europe, this is ca. 1 in 2).

There are only three prebiotics which are scientifically and clinically proven to be classified as such. BENEO’s chicory root fibres, inulin and oligofructose (FOS), belong to this exclusive group of proven prebiotics, that offer claim possibilities in EU, US and many other countries. In fact, a recently published systematic literature review based on 50 human intervention studies confirmed that chicory root fibre intake (starting at 3g/day) promotes significant growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut in all age groups and improves bowel function parameters. Other benefits provided by chicory root fibres relate to blood sugar management, iimmune health, weight management, and calcium absorption for bone health.

Chicory Root Fibres as your solid prebiotic choice

Given the wide variety of attractive health benefits, it is no surprise the future of prebiotic-enriched products looks strong and globally, launches with prebiotic ingredients are gaining traction to answer consumer demand.

Looking at the expectations of those consumers that buy foods or drinks containing prebiotics, a recent global FMCG Gurus survey reveals that for three out of four, product efficacy, health claims, and science-based claims are significant purchasing determinants. This highlights the need for manufacturers to choose scientifically proven prebiotic ingredients such as chicory root fibres.

Developers interested in working with prebiotic dietary fibre are advised to investigate carefully, as not all dietary fibres are prebiotic. Navigating through the abundance of products making a prebiotic claim, you will encounter a variety of ingredients using the term “prebiotic” without the necessary scientific backing. Resistant dextrins, such as soluble corn fibre and soluble tapioca fibre, resistant starch, tapioca starch, polydextrose, gum acacia – while some may be considered “candidate prebiotics,” others fall short. They are using the term incorrectly, contributing to confusion in the market. To date there are only 3 proven prebiotics: inulin, oligofructose (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).

Simply looking at the origin of where fibres come from can also show an obvious difference: made by nature or by chemistry? Inulin and oligofructose are naturally occurring fibres in many vegetables and fruits; and chicory root is used as origin for extraction thanks to the high amount of inulin found in the roots. Other fibres on the market, such as resistant dextrins or so-called “soluble corn fibre”, are not extracted from corn as the name implies. They are in fact derived from glucose/starch syrup, through a heat process involving chemical and enzymatic modification. Such a treatment creates synthesized bindings that are partially not available in nature and enzymes in the human body cannot deal with them.

Go for technical excellence

In terms of technical properties, BENEO’s natural and non-GMO ingredients Orafti® Inulin and Oligofructose are proving popular with producers, as they have a neutral to mild sweet taste which blends well with a wide variety of applications. In addition, they are soluble dietary fibres that can be easily added to recipe formulations without major changes to the production process. Apart from increasing the fibre content, chicory root fibres allow for reduced fat or sugar food formulations, thereby improving the nutritional profile, taste and texture.

BENEO’s chicory root fibre range also includes organic options offering the same set of benefits as our conventional products.

With health and natural ingredients being a top priority for many consumers, this further drives the demand for food and drinks with added health benefits. Food manufacturers can leap at the opportunity to develop tasty and nutritional foods with the help of functional ingredients such as prebiotic chicory root fibres.

Source article: BENEO

Read More