Beneo’s chicory root prebiotic formula reduces infant infections and crying times, shows study

28 Apr 2021 --- Fortifying infant formula with Orafti Synergy1, Beneo’s oligofructose-enriched inulin derived from chicory root, can reduce the duration of infections during a child’s first year of life.

The findings come as part of a follow-up program of the Efficacy and Safety Trials (EARNEST) project, an EU-funded initiative. 

“As the intestine of a newborn is not mature, the gut microbiome, in particular bifidobacteria, supports a healthy environment in the gut and thus also the immune system development,” Anke Sentko, vice president of regulatory affairs and  nutrition communication at Beneo, explains to NutritionInsight. 

“Without a doubt, this is good news for both babies and their parents. With the right choice of ingredients, formulas can be improved by enriching them with prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin and brought closer to the gold standard of breastfeeding.”

Babies that consumed the infant formula enriched with Orafti Synergy1 had significantly shorter infection episodes than a control group. In addition, the total daily crying time for those consuming the prebiotic formula was lower, and their stools were significantly softer throughout the 12 months.

Enriching infant formulas with prebiotics is important in strengthening babies’ gut microbiome, shows the study.Earnest results 
The research was conducted across multiple sites in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. It involved 160 healthy term infants who were exclusively formula-fed and aged younger than four months at the study’s outset. 

The infant formula was either enriched with 0.8 g per 100 mL of Beneo’s Orafti Synergy1 or an unsupplemented control formula. These were given until the babies reached 12 months of age. 

This is the third study showing the health benefits of 0.8 g per 100 mL Orafti Synergy1 on infants, but the first lasting such a long duration. 

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that prebiotics positively impact a baby’s gut microbiota by acting on their inner defense system, says Beneo. 

“In this respect, a healthy colonization of the gut microbiota with beneficial bacteria seems to be of high importance for the proper development of the immune system.”

Gut-brain axis in babies
As a recognized prebiotic, oligofructose-enriched inulin, Beneo’s Orafti Synergy1 feeds beneficial bifidobacteria in the gut and therefore positively influences the microbiota, says the company.  

Breastfed babies’ microbiota is characterized by high levels of bifidobacteria, which positively influences the gut environment. 

However, not every child is able to be breastfed. Beneo says that with prebiotic enrichment of infant formula, they can gain a stronger inner defense system, improved stool consistency and other benefits. 

“With our increasing knowledge on the relations of microbiota and health outcomes throughout life, further research is warranted including advanced microbiota techniques like 16S rRNA gene sequencing and long-term follow-up interventions,” concludes Sentko. 

Inulin and breastfeeding 
Last year, Beneo’s commercial managing director, Eric Neven, told NutritionInsight that prebiotic inulin fiber is popular for food and beverage NPD and is expected to see further growth as the COVID-19 crisis drives demand for immunity-boosting formulations. 

NutritionInsight also explored the highly lucrative infant nutrition market as part of World Breastfeeding Week 2020, observing the advances being made by industry players in mimicking breast milk through NPD.

By Louis Gore-Langton