IFT First 2025 live: Comet Bio upcycles prebiotic fiber for microbiome boost

Comet Bio is showcasing Arrabina, a light-colored, fully soluble prebiotic fiber made from upcycled wheat crop leftovers, at IFT First 2025 in Chicago, US (Jul 13–16). The manufacturer is presenting trendy sweet treats that are gut-friendly and craveable at its booth S3914. 

The ingredient is designed for gut comfort and offers functional versatility for formulators. On the show floor, Nutrition Insight interviews CEO Loula Merkel, who explains how Arrabina’s plant-based structure supports microbiome health and stands out with FDA recognition. She mentions that it has verified prebiotic certification and the lowest carbon footprint among similar fibers.

Arrabina supports various applications, from lemonade, snack bars, and supplements to ice cream, says Merkel. It can help brands meet clean label, sustainability, and wellness needs without sacrificing flavor or functionality.

“We recently introduced Arabina L, a more functional version of our original product, Arabina P. The difference is that it contains fewer polyphenols, making it easier to use in lighter-colored applications,” shares Merkel.

“It’s very soluble, as seen in our prebiotic lemonade. Another distinguishing feature of this product is its extremely low pH level. It remains very stable in low pH environments and at varying temperatures. Many fibres degrade into monosaccharides when heated. This fiber remains a polysaccharide even in extreme heat, low pH, and low temperatures.”

Providing a “full meal” for microbiota

Merkel explains that fiber’s importance in microbiome diversity is essential for health. She believes that Arrabina stands out in the prebiotic fiber market because of its “alpha diversity,” which indicates the balance of good and bad bacteria.

Arabina fiber increases microbiome alpha diversity by 20% more than other fibers.“Fibers are not all the same. It’s not a monolithic ingredient. There’s an important part to diversity in the microbiome, which consists of three trillion bacteria, and they don’t all eat the same things.”

“This concept of alpha diversity is emerging as an important metric to gauge microbiome health. What that alpha diversity shows is the diversity of the microbiome population — the balance of good and bad. Within the good bacteria, you can identify which specific strains you have, how many different types of strains are associated with various benefits, and what those benefits are,” she explains.

Merkel says Arrabina has a diverse set of components that reflect the natural diversity of plants. It is also extracted from a simple process that uses only water and pressure, which maintains the fiber diversity.

“For example, arabinoxylan is the backbone of our product, but attached to that are polyphenols, some xylooligosaccharides, beta-glucan, and lignin. It’s like a full meal for the microbiota in your gut.”

“Our clinical evidence shows that our fiber has a 20% better alpha diversity in the human microbiome than other fibers,” she adds.

Evidence-backed claims

Comet Bio explains that Arrabina L is a fully soluble powder resistant to heat and pH changes, with low viscosity and a neutral mouthfeel. Arrabina P offers the same functions, but its applications are focused on coffee, tea, and chocolate, as it enhances flavor without diluting the taste.

“Arrabina is an FDA-recognized fiber and has been since 2018. The FDA reviewed the full body of evidence when it established arabinoxylan as a dietary fiber. That full body of evidence shows some very interesting benefits of arabinoxylans in the human gut and the human body,” says Merkel.

“One is gut health — we have a digestive health claim. We’re also prebiotic verified, certified by the NutraStrong Prebiotic Verified certificate. That is a new certificate that examines the clinical evidence, as well as our production data and third-party lab testing, to certify that a low dose — just 3.6 g — gets you a prebiotic effect.”

Arabina has the lowest carbon footprint among the tested fibers, using upcycled wheat stalks and water-based processing.She adds that Arrabina also carried a blood glucose claim, supported by evidence showing that only 4.3 g promotes healthy blood sugar levels. It is also upcycled-certified.

Upcycled fiber for sustainability

Comet Bio uses crop leftovers for its gluten-free wheat fiber extract, enabling it to claim having the smallest carbon footprint among all its fibers.

“About two-thirds of the wheat crop is just thrown away. We partner with farmers after the grain is harvested to collect the leaves and stalks of the wheat plant. There’s no grain, no gluten in any of our raw materials. And we process that with just water and pressure. It’s a very clean process, and we extract a gluten-free wheat fiber extract,” says Merkel.

“We went the extra mile and hired Planet FWD to assess our life cycle greenhouse gas footprint. They also evaluated some other fibers for us, and we had the lowest carbon footprint of all the fibers tested.”

Merkel explains that Planet FWD analyzed how substituting an ingredient — such as fiber — compares to modifying packaging. While many sustainability targets emphasize packaging, in a nutrition bar, the outer packaging is only a tiny portion of the whole product. The majority of the product consists of its ingredients.

“So we found that you can have a much higher impact replacing a fiber with our Arabina in a nutrition bar compared to swapping out packaging for something more sustainable.”

Nutrition Insight also connected with Beneo, which is showcasing its nutrition-forward solutions for weight management and consumers using GLP-1 medications at IFT First.