Trending in prebiotics: Industry talks ingredients, applications and COVID-19 impact

10 Mar 2021 --- Prebiotic ingredients are having a moment as COVID-19 puts the focus on prevention and immunity. Experts from FrieslandCampina Ingredients, Sensus, Beneo, Nexira and Galam speak to NutritionInsight about interesting applications in supplements and functional foods, as well as the pandemic’s impact.

“Even before COVID-19 hit, consumers were already taking more active care of their health. This interest has only increased over time and demand for prebiotics is growing in response,” says Vicky Davies, global marketing director of performance, active and medical nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients. 

“With more than half of European consumers associating prebiotics with immune health, there are windows of opportunity for producers who can harness these concerns, which is why prebiotic chicory root fibers are proving very popular with food and drink producers alike,” adds Anke Sentko, vice president of regulatory affairs and nutrition communication at Beneo.

COVID-19 boosts demand
Health-conscious consumers are boosting demand for fiber-fortified foods that promote gut health and offer a holistic approach to immunity.

“Due to the healthy image of prebiotics such as chicory inulin, people working from home are helping the healthy snacking arena grow. Closed restaurants are resulting in higher retail sales and we have seen a considerable increase in demand for chicory inulin prebiotic,” says Paul Vennik, director of marketing and sales at Sensus.

Anke Sentko, vice president of regulatory affairs and nutrition communication at Beneo.The prebiotic market is rising thanks to different market drivers, supports Julie Impérato, marketing manager at Nexira. 

“Consumers are aware that lots of health benefits go through a well-balanced microbiota. And digestive health is often associated with immunity thanks to the link with the gut barrier,” Impérato says.

“Today’s well-informed consumers prefer products that offer science-backed benefits. They increasingly prefer solutions like prebiotics that support a holistic approach to health, offering combined, demonstrated benefits in a single serving,” explains Davies.

Consumer awareness grows
According to Sentko, even before the pandemic impacted global markets, the important issue of well-being had been brought to the fore and highlighted as a major trend. 

“Consumers already were motivated to improve their digestive health to address specific health issues, such as losing weight and improving their natural defenses and long-term health,” she says.

As a result, demand for chicory root fiber was already high before the pandemic and the trend has now been accelerated, meaning supply can be tight. This is why Beneo has invested more than €50 million (US$59 million) to increase the capacity of its chicory plant in Pemuco, Chile, to meet the growing demand, explains Sentko.

Trending GOS
Many industry players are formulating fibers for the food fortification and supplements arena, tapping into demands such as sugar reduction and gut health.

Davies says the FCI is “leading the way” with galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). 

“GOS is a complex mix of over 100 oligosaccharide structures. It is derived from the lactose in cow’s milk and is known for its prebiotic effect,” she says.

Demand for chicory root fiber was already high before the pandemic and the trend has now been accelerated.It has been a staple ingredient of infant milk formula around the globe for decades, and FCI’s own GOS is one of the most studied forms of the ingredient in the world, Davies supports. 

“Now, we’re bringing GOS to the adult nutrition market with our Biotis range of targeted ingredient solutions, designed with consumer needs in mind.”

“In 2020, we introduced Biotis Gut Health, which leverages GOS to support digestive comfort. This was soon followed by Biotis Brain Health, which combines GOS with proteins and micronutrients to support better quality sleep.”

Davies also notes that there is more to come in this space as the potential of GOS for different health areas is being explored.

Chicory inulin’s stars status
In the same space, Sensus offers chicory root inulin and is at the “forefront” of providing clinical evidence on its benefits, supports Vennik. 

“There are numerous studies demonstrating the bifidobacterial effect in infants to elderly, which strongly underlies a healthy gut and well-being. Chicory inulin is the only plant-based prebiotic recognized by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).”

GOFOS is a fiber ingredient designed for greater stability and longer shelf life of synbiotic products.Israel-based Galam recently launched GOFOS, a fiber ingredient with “low water activity” designed for greater stability and longer shelf life of synbiotic products (Prebiotic + Probiotics blends).

“We are also developing formulations for the nutraceutical gummies industry. Galam’s solutions will provide gummies manufacturers an effective method to apply prebiotic fiber to their product and to reduce sugar at the same time,” says Galam’s vice president of sales, Itay Vilder.

Beneo’s Sentko spotlights the company’s chicory root fibers Orafti inulin and oligofructose. These are clinically proven prebiotics, internationally accepted by scientific experts in the field, she says. 

More than 40 intervention studies in adults demonstrate a significant increase in Bifidobacteria. 

Meanwhile, Nexira offers two prebiotic ingredients: prebiotic acacia (Inavea pure acacia) and the recently launched baobab and acacia blend (Inavea baobab acacia).

Trending applications
Prebiotic manufacturers are addressing customers who understand that prevention is the best form of treatment. This is a diverse group with a wide variety of consumption preferences, united by a common belief that taking care of health should be easy and enjoyable, says Davies.

“Consumers want products that are natural, convenient and easy to incorporate into their existing diet and lifestyles. We see a rising interest in both supplement and functional foods, but one big area of growth is drinks, such as ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs).”

According to Innova Market Insights data, supplements for fiber applications between 2019 and 2020 had four thousand new products positioned with digestive health/prebiotic.RTDs are an attractive option, especially for consumers suffering from digestive health issues, because it is easy to incorporate these types of products into a diet, Davies adds.

Diverse consumer profiles
According to Innova Market Insights data, supplements were still the most dynamic category for fiber applications between 2019 and 2020 with four thousand new products positioned with digestive health/prebiotic. 

However, Yogurt and Dairy Alternatives are rising and many new product launches have been seen on the market during the same period, Impérato notes.

“When talking about prebiotics, we can address two consumer profiles: Those taking supplements are more educated, used to probiotics for several years and they are looking for more sophistication like products targeting specific strains,” Impérato says.

In contrast, daily regimen consumers look at gut health as a regular component of their daily diet. These consumers are looking for easy-to-take products in their daily lives, convenient and easy-to-go. 

“Thus, market segments offering prebiotics are mainly bars, powders and dairy products like drinkable yogurts,” Impérato adds.

Galam’s Vilder sees the company’s GOFOS as having opportunities in functional food applications such as chocolate, gummies, protein bars and dairy. 

“Supplements, functional gummies and dairy alternatives are trending applications for fiber,” notes Sensus’ Vennik. “We support the food and beverage industry in incorporating prebiotic inulin resulting in both healthy and tasty products.”

By Kristiana Lalou