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 move.

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(1), even in this economic climate.

This trend is set to continue for the long-term, as shoppers seek to look after their future health. In fact, according to BENEO global research, two-thirds of respondents feel that by choosing healthy food they are taking control of their future health (68% of US, 62% of European consumers).

One key area that you as food manufacturer can address in your NPD strategy is digestive health. To develop tasty gut friendly foods and beverages, you can look towards prebiotic chicory root fibers.

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.”(2) 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 six 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) (3).  

There are only three prebiotics which are scientifically and clinically proven to be classified as such. BENEO’s chicory root fibers, 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 fiber intake (starting at 3g/day) promotes significant growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut in all age groups and improves bowel function parameters(4). Other benefits provided by chicory root fibers relate to blood sugar management(5), immune health(6), weight management(7,8), and calcium absorption for bone health(9,10).

Chicory Root Fibers 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 fibers.

Developers interested in working with prebiotic dietary fiber are advised to investigate carefully, as not all dietary fibers 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 fiber and soluble tapioca fiber, 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 three proven prebiotics: inulin, oligofructose (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).

Simply looking at the origin of where fibers come from can also show an obvious difference: made by nature or by chemistry? Inulin and oligofructose are naturally occurring fibers 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 fibers on the market, such as resistant dextrins or so-called “soluble corn fiber,” 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 fibers that can be easily added to recipe formulations without major changes to the production process. Apart from increasing the fiber content, chicory root fibers allow for reduced fat or sugar food formulations, thereby improving the nutritional profile, taste and texture.

BENEO’s chicory root fiber 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 fibers.

 www.beneo.com

Sources:

 1) Mintel: How to make your brand invaluable in a cost-of-living crisis, global, 2022

 2) Gibson GR, Hutkins R, Sanders ME, Prescott SL, Reimer RA, Salminen SJ, Scott K, Stanton C, Swanson KS, Cani PD, Verbeke K, Reid G (2017) Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14(8):491–502. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrgastro.2017.75.pdf

3) BENEO’s Global Consumer Survey on Prebiotics, 2023

4) Nagy DU, Sándor-Bajusz KA, Bódy B, Decsi T, Van Harsselaar J, Theis S & Lohner S (2022) Effect of chicory-derived inulin-type fructans on abundance of Bifidobacterium and on bowel function: a systematic review with meta-analyses. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Published 14 July 2022, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2098246

5) Lightowler H, Thondre S, Holz A et al. (2018) Replacement of glycemic carbohydrates by inulin-type fructans from chicory (oligofructose, inulin) reduces the postprandial blood glucose and insulin response to foods: Report of two double-blind, randomized, controlled trials. Eur J Nutr 57(3): 1259–1268. https://rd.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00394-017-1409-z.pdf

6) Vogt L, Meyer D, Pullens G et al. (2015) Immunological properties of inulin-type fructans. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 55(3): 414–436. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24915372

7) Cani P, Joly E, Horsmans Y, Delzenne NM (2006) Oligofructose promotes satiety in healthy human: a pilot study. Eur J Clin Nutr 60(5) :567–572. http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v60/n5/pdf/1602350a.pdf

8) McCann MT, Livingstone MBE, Wallace JMW, Gallagher AM, Weich RW (2011) Oligofructose-enriched Inulin supplementation decreases energy intake in overweight and obese men and women. Obesity Reviews, 12(S1):63–279. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00889.x/pdf

9) Abrams SA, Hawthorne KM, Aliu O, Hicks PD, Chen Z, Griffin IJ (2007) An inulin-type fructan enhances calcium absorption primarily via an effect on colonic absorption in humans. J Nutr 137(10):2208–2212. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/10/2208.full.pdf 

10) Abrams SA, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Liang L, Gunn SK, Darlington G, Ellis KJ (2005) A combination of prebiotic short- and long-chain inulin-type fructans enhances calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82:471-476. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16087995/ 

11) FMCG Gurus, Prebiotics survey, Q2 2022. A total of 10,000 consumers were surveyed across 10 countries (1,000 per country), here: filtered by consumers who purchase prebiotics, n=1,260.