Industry reveals trending functional ingredients with “fibermaxxing” innovation opportunities

Functional ingredients are in demand as various consumers seek to boost their nutrient intake for targeted health solutions amid an expanding fiber gap, the rise of GLP-1s, and the popularity of processed foods. 

Nutrition Insight speaks with ADM and Raisio to uncover key ingredients and trends that hold opportunities for manufacturers to create evidence-supported products that balance formulation, consumer demand, and regulations.

Fiber-fortified fanatics

According to Raisio’s chief innovation officer, Reetta Andolin, fiber is seeing the strongest demand, driven by the “fibermaxxing” trend as consumers are becoming knowledgeable about fiber’s link to gut, cardiovascular, and metabolic health, and overall well-being.

She believes this consumer behavior is driving growth in soluble fibers, prebiotics, and fiber-enriched foods, with grain-based solutions, particularly oats and beta-glucan-rich ingredients, gaining strong momentum.

“At the same time, protein solutions and sugar reduction ingredients remain important, also often working alongside fiber in more holistic health formulations,” Andolin notes. “For suppliers, the shift is toward solution-driven offerings — combining clinically supported fiber benefits with strong application performance. Enabling high-fiber formulations without compromising taste or texture is becoming a key differentiator.”

The next growth opportunities in functional ingredients over the next few years will see fiber continue to expand beyond digestive and cardiovascular health, according to Andolin. As consumers embrace fibermaxxing, fiber applications will extend into metabolic health, satiety, and cognitive well-being.

“There is also strong potential in multifunctional fiber ingredients that deliver health benefits and technical performance, helping simplify formulations. Combined with sustainability and more targeted nutrition approaches, this creates significant opportunities across a wide range of food categories.”

Also recognizing opportunity in the fibermaxxing trend, Alicia Humpert, global marketing director of Microbiome at ADM, points out that as modern diets fuel the fiber gap, consumers actively seek to maximize their fiber consumption for broader health benefits.

“ADM/Matsutani LLC’s prebiotic soluble dietary fiber, Fibersol, helps address the ‘fibermaxxing’ trend, and it also has clinical studies showing it promotes the growth of gut microbes positively associated with health. At 3.75 g per serving (for a total of 15 g daily over three weeks), Fibersol may help nourish the intestinal flora and support a healthy intestinal tract environment.”

“Additionally, our DE111 (Bacillus subtilis) spore-forming probiotic can overcome challenging formulation environments that may otherwise damage conventional probiotics, in addition to surviving the stomach and germinating in the small intestine. DE111 has clinical evidence that it may support digestive health.”

Bubbling biotic opportunities 

Humpert draws attention to biotics as a growing area of opportunity to redesign formulations across F&B categories that combine enjoyment and nutrition.

Humpert draws attention to biotics as a growing area of opportunity to redesign formulations across F&B categories that combine enjoyment and nutrition.“An expanding body of evidence highlights the role of gut microbiome solutions, including prebiotic fiber, probiotics, and postbiotics, to support various aspects of well-being. Postbiotics are poised to be the next functional ingredient innovation driver due to their stability and support for various areas of wellness. Postbiotics are incredibly resilient, can withstand harsh formulation conditions, such as high heat, and do not require refrigeration.” 

“The postbiotic strains of our Bifidobacterium longum CECT7347 (Esflorin1) and BPL1 (B. animalis subsp. lactis CECT8145) are paving the way for what’s next in functional nutrition.”

She explains that these strains are clinically evidenced to support key wellness areas, such as Esflorin1 for overall gut and digestive health support, with the potential to help reduce bloating. Additionally, BPL1 targets factors relevant to metabolic health.

“Prebiotic dietary fiber also remains critical to the gut health category, with nearly 70% of global consumers listing fiber as a top nutrient they look to increase in their foods and beverages,” according to ADM data.

Protein remains strong

Humpert points out that protein enrichment is also top-of-mind, as ADM research has found that 66% of global consumers seek to increase their protein intake. 

“Some consumers target reaching around 30–40 g of protein with each meal, which can be difficult to achieve without added food supplements or high-protein offerings. Consumers also show increased interest in diverse protein sources, giving brands an opportunity to formulate for high protein content and variety by introducing new formats featuring plant-based protein like soy, pea, and bean varietals, either individually or in blends.”

“To support manufacturers in meeting protein demands, we leverage our vast plant-based ingredients and systems pantry, including clean-tasting, light-colored soy-, pea-, and wheat proteins for variety and high protein content, while mitigating off-notes or undesirable textures associated with certain plant proteins.”

She spotlights ADM’s value-added beans, pulses, ancient grains, nuts, and seeds that can also be used to develop high-protein, nutrient-dense products.

Promising functional ingredients for successful products

Raisio’s Andolin explains that the biggest barriers to turning a promising functional ingredient into a successful product that consumers trust depend on awareness.

Raisio’s chief innovation officer, Reetta Andolin, at the company’s new pilot plant for grain side stream valorization.“Even with strong science, success depends on making benefits tangible and easy to understand — fiber is a good example, where education still plays a role despite high awareness: there is still a fiber gap between the recommended daily intake and actual usage, despite the good awareness.”

“Taste and texture are critical, especially in fiber enrichment, where technological challenges can be significant, such as avoiding sliminess and high viscosity. If the eating experience falls short, a repeat purchase won’t follow.”

Furthermore, Andolin says that consumers appreciate fiber without the bloating or stomachache. The key to trust is transparency, consistent quality, and clear, compliant communication.

Careful formulation strategies

Humpert points out other challenges manufacturers face regarding formulation challenges when incorporating functional ingredients.

According to ADM research, taste and nutrition are equally valuable across all product segments to plant-forward consumers. “However, each aspect of the sensory experience, from visual appeal to flavor and mouthfeel, must be considered to capture and hold consumer attention.”

“Protein fortification presents challenges surrounding texture and off-notes. Our plant proteins are clean-tasting and neutral in color, helping mitigate concerns often associated with certain plant-based ingredients. They are also highly functional, supporting desirable sensory attributes,” she says. “To further address texture challenges in high-protein, high-fiber applications, we leverage plant-derived lecithin to improve texture quality.”

Additionally, when using biotics, the challenges become more complex as several probiotic strains are heat-sensitive and can lose viability. This often causes manufacturers to turn to postbiotics or spore-forming probiotics, as they help maintain functionality through formulation and shelf life. 

“Our Esflorin1 and BPL1 postbiotics and DE111 spore-forming probiotic can retain their efficacy under those conditions that may otherwise damage conventional probiotics,” adds Humpert.

ADM and Raisio solve high-fiber protein formulation with clean sensory solutions.Moreover, fiber also requires careful handling, she points out. “Soluble fibers can affect water activity and softness, leading to shelf life challenges. Our Fibersol builds back functionality in highly sought-after reduced-sugar offerings while also minimizing impact on the sensory experience because it is neutral in flavor and color, is water soluble, and has outstanding clarity, low viscosity, and stability under heat, acid, shear, freeze, and thawing conditions.”

Additionally, she spotlights ADM’s TasteSpark flavor modulation solutions to help improve sensory appeal in functional products, prioritizing taste and mouthfeel while supporting clean label goals.

Balancing formulation, consumer demand & regulations

Science, taste, and clean label expectations need to be balanced while also maintaining regulatory compliance as functional foods move mainstream. Andolin says that for high-fiber formulations, products should deliver proven benefits.

“Oats, as our key grain ingredient, naturally combine these advantages, delivering nutritional value, good sensory performance, and a clean label profile,” she points out. 

“We are determined to valorize our grain, such as oats, side streams into functional fiber ingredients. This requires integrating scientific validation, process technology, application expertise, and clean labels as considerations from the outset. Process and ingredient choices play a key role in keeping labels simple while ensuring functionality.”

Humpert from ADM adds that balancing science, taste, clean label expectations, and regulatory compliance necessitates a multifaceted approach requiring technical expertise and partnerships. 

“From a formulation standpoint, the primary challenge lies in ensuring that functional ingredients are fully compliant for their intended use while simultaneously delivering sensory outcomes that are acceptable to consumers.”

“To achieve this, manufacturers must encourage close collaboration between R&D, regulatory, and marketing teams. This integrated strategy ensures that every formulation decision is aligned with the specific needs of the customer, blending technical innovation with market viability,” she concludes. “By fostering this, brands can navigate the complexities of clean label demands without compromising on product efficacy.”