Beyond the gut: Spotlight on advancing research and innovations in prebiotic fibers

15 Feb 2024 --- A strong consumer awareness of the impact of gut health on overall well-being opens opportunities for prebiotic fibers — food components used by bacteria. Scientific evidence on their effect on the gut and skin microbiome continues to advance, though consumer education is crucial to highlight how prebiotics differ from post- and probiotics.

Nutrition Insight examines the latest market and research developments in prebiotic fibers with industry experts, looking at their associated health benefits, product diversification opportunities and how they complement probiotics.

“Four out of five consumers have now heard of prebiotics, and over half have made the link between them and ‘supporting digestive health’ and being ‘healthy,’” Stephan Theis, head of nutrition science and communication at Beneo, tells us.

“Research on prebiotics has expanded significantly in recent years, providing new insights and further substantiation of their diverse effects on gut health and overall well-being. All three ‘biotic’ terms — probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic — require, by definition, that they confer a health benefit on the host. The health benefit must be substantiated by controlled high-quality intervention trials.” 

Silvi Siddhu, director of nutraceuticals at Univar Solutions, highlights that inulin, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides are the most widely studied and adopted prebiotics. 

“Other prebiotics regularly utilized in the industry include resistant starch, human milk oligosaccharides and polydextrose. However, science continues to evolve, and various emerging prebiotics, such as polyphenols, show promising results.”   

Stephan Theis, head of nutrition science and communication at Beneo.Beyond the gut 
Theis underscores that consumers recognize the crucial role of the gut microbiome for digestive and overall health, as it interacts with other organs in the body, such as the brain, liver, kidneys and muscles. 

“Approximately three out of four consumers worldwide believe digestive health influences their physical well-being, immune system, weight and energy levels. The wider understanding of the impact of the gut microbiome for health is driving demand for products containing prebiotics.” 

Beneo focuses on expanding the knowledge around its chicory root fibers — Orafti inulin and Oligofructose. Theis notes that scientific research has established various health benefits of prebiotic chicory root fibers that go beyond the gut. 

“These include blood sugar management, immune health, weight management, calcium absorption for bone health and even mood improvement. At the same time, chicory root fibers can help improve the nutritional profile of a wide range of food and drink products.” 

According to Siddhu, prebiotics are widely known to modulate microbial composition and diversity. She explains that the byproducts and metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) released after the fermentation of prebiotics by the gut microbes indirectly support a healthier immune response. 

“For example, SCFAs can induce activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin that can help regulate the body’s immune response.” 

“Recent studies have also linked prebiotics directly to a healthier immune system by influencing the intestinal epithelial cell and gut barrier function, which is the first line of defense in immune response.”

Advancing research 
Vaughn DuBow, global director of marketing in microbiome solutions at ADM, underscores that research on the effects of prebiotics on gut health and immune function has significantly advanced in recent years, shedding light on the intricate interactions within the gut microbiota and its impact on overall well-being. “It’s also generally recognized that 70% of the immune system resides in the gut.”

“Studies show that prebiotics can stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria, such as certain probiotics, contributing to improved gut barrier function, digestion, regularity and immune function. Concurrently, research on probiotics has expanded to identify specific strains believed to modulate the immune system and contribute to a diverse and resilient gut microbiome.” 

Research is also exploring the potential of prebiotics to help beneficial bacteria flourish in other areas, such as the skin microbiome. 

“An expanding body of evidence suggests a link between the gut microbiome and various aspects of well-being, including skin health, mood and cognition, stress and sleep and women’s health,” details DuBow. “As prebiotics foster the growth of good bacteria, ongoing studies indicate their potential to support these emerging areas.”

Beneo’s Theis adds that research has delved deeper into how prebiotics affect the gut microbiome and how this is related to the health benefits conferred on the host. 

“Much research is ongoing with chicory root fiber in emerging science. New benefits include improving mood and cognition, ameliorating metabolic diseases or lowering inflammation.”According to Univar Solutions, emerging prebiotics, such as polyphenols, show promising results for gut microbiome modulation.

However, he cautions that evidence on specific health benefits from well-designed human studies is scarce regarding postbiotics. “Key challenges for research on probiotics remain the understanding of their mechanisms of action, to map which probiotic strains confer specific health benefits and to define the necessary intake levels to achieve those effects.” 

World of biotics  
DuBow explains that prebiotics and probiotics are inherently different, although they both can confer benefits by modulating the gut microbiota. 

“Prebiotics are substrates, or food components, which bacteria use. Probiotics are live microorganisms. Prebiotics and probiotics are complementary, and bringing in postbiotics makes for a true trifecta of tailored wellness support, including for immune function and other key focus areas.”

“Postbiotics continue to gain attention with research suggesting that they may contribute to the beneficial effects observed with probiotics, offering potential alternatives for supporting gut health, immune function and overall well-being.”

He stresses that consumer education is crucial, as “individuals may not be familiar with prebiotics or their potential benefits and how they differ from probiotics and postbiotics.”

Siddhu from Univar Solutions expects that consumer education around the terminology of specific prebiotics will likely add to their acceptance and popularity. 

“The opportunities in the world of biotics seem endless, and prebiotics are no exception. They can potentially play a major role in providing new food, supplements, feed, topicals and agriculture solutions. Organizations like the Global Prebiotic Association and International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics are at the forefront of prebiotic education and provide resources to propel exciting industry innovation.”

She further highlights that synbiotics continue to gain popularity “due to the role of prebiotics in exerting the beneficial effects of probiotics.”ADM highlights that there are opportunities to introduce prebiotics into everyday consumer goods due to their versatility.

Meanwhile, Matevž Ambrožič, marketing and PR director at PharmaLinea, counters that prebiotics most commonly appear as supporting ingredients for probiotics. When brands include prebiotics as stand-alone ingredients, this is mostly in brands with expansive portfolios and commonly target digestion, constipation, regularity and immunity.

“We also see that several ingredients that aren’t primarily prebiotics now communicate prebiotic effects that previously weren’t mentioned because there wasn’t so much awareness.” 

Product diversification and innovation 
ADM’s DuBow observes opportunities in diversifying prebiotic ingredients and their incorporation into a broader range of foods and beverages. 

“There is an opportunity to introduce prebiotics into everyday consumer goods, such as snacks, sparkling beverages and gummies, making it easier for individuals to seamlessly incorporate prebiotics into their diets and lifestyles. Prebiotic dietary fiber is a top ingredient consumers seek, with many looking to add fiber to their diets for reasons like digestion, weight management and satiety.”

He adds that bacteriophages — viruses that solely kill and selectively target bacteria — also emerge as promising solutions within the prebiotic sector.

At the same time, addressing taste and texture challenges and concerns associated with some prebiotic ingredients can help build consumer acceptance, spots DuBow. 

Maja Orešnik, science and research director at PharmaLinea, observes that prebiotics increasingly originate from new sources, especially fruits like kiwi or citrus.PharmaLinea notes that prebiotics increasingly originate from new sources, like kiwi or citrus.

“Consumers are also looking for prebiotics that are effective in lower dosages and support the growth of a specific microorganism(s),” she adds. Requiring smaller additions means that brands can use new and more attractive product forms to deliver the target amount of prebiotics.”

“Unlike with probiotics, you don’t have to worry about stability. Furthermore, increased research on prebiotic ingredients can expand their positioning to new indications. On the other hand, prebiotics are still less recognized for effects outside gut health than probiotics. Thus, more marketing is required, and research supporting the beneficial effects of prebiotics is sadly still lacking.” 

Ambrožič adds that smaller dosages of newer, next-gen prebiotic ingredients allow inclusion into various supplement formats. “We are even seeing gummies, which have minimal capacity for active ingredients.”  

“When the jelly format takes off in the rest of the world (right now, it’s booming in Asia), we will see a lot of prebiotic claims related to that because the fibers included in jellies for technical (gelation) purposes have prebiotic effects as a nice bonus.”

He concludes: “From a marketer’s perspective, the largest challenge is lower consumer awareness and the need for education from brands launching prebiotic products.” 

By Jolanda van Hal