With research accelerating into the way the gut modulates varying components of health through the microbiome, and how diet and nutrition can influence that interplay, fiber and prebiotics are gaining ground in the dietary supplement and fortified food/beverage markets.

At the same time, health-conscious consumers are taking a proactive and preventive approach to their health, which has been compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said Sarah Diedrich, marketing director, sweetening solutions and fibers, ADM.

“People are now more aware of the connection between a healthy gut microbiome and immune function, metabolic wellness, digestive health, and mental well-being,” she said. “Fiber is a functional ingredient understood to support the microbiome. According to ADM research, 56% of consumers are adding or increasing fiber in their diet.”

Market Performance
Fiber supplements are increasingly popular, following overall interest in nutritional supplements, Diedrich said. “For example, one in five global consumers use nutritional supplements to help boost their health and 60% of them say that they take supplements every day (FMCG Gurus, September 2020). In the U.S., sales of vitamins and minerals were up by 16.7% in July 2020 compared with the previous year. Purchases more than doubled in March 2020 as COVID-19 cases began to increase around the world (Financial Times, August 2020).”

Looking specifically at the beverage category, Janae Kuc, senior manager, segment marketing beverages, Ingredion Incorporated, noted the U.S. market is seeing growth across all beverage sub-categories for the first half of 2021, according to IRI.

“The year over year curves are all up, but are beginning to normalize after the 2020 COVID year,” she said. “In light of the pandemic, consumers are increasing their focus on wellness, health, and nutrition. They are also reaching for beverages with added functional benefits.”

Functional beverages are becoming more than a niche category, Kuc said, as consumers are looking for added ingredients with specific functions. “The addition of functional ingredients across all beverage sub-categories is rising,” she said; “35.5% of beverages launched in North America in 2020 contain functional claims (Innova Market Insights). Based on a proprietary research study that Ingredion conducted, we noted that the importance of digestive health in the past year for food and beverages has increased; 60% of respondents provided an affirmation.” 

Len Monheit, executive director of the Global Prebiotic Association, noted difficulty in tracking the fiber market accurately, especially in the food and beverage sector. “Developers are adding fiber to take advantage of fiber claims, but they are also adding various types so as to be able to suggest prebiotic activity through digestive or immune support. And since not all fiber is prebiotic, it gets complicated.”

On the supplement side, fiber supplements are common and the market for prebiotics has proliferated, Monheit noted. Many products are formulated with multiple fiber sources, or non-fiber based prebiotics.

“In summary, the market on both sides (supplements and functional foods and beverages) is performing well,” he said. “It is being buoyed by an understanding that fiber benefits the microbiome broadly for immunity, digestion, and more, and the positive association between fiber and prebiotic activity.”

From the consumer perspective, respondents to a recent survey from Ingredient Transparency Center (ITC) Insights indicated that gut health/digestion was the number one reason consumers take prebiotics; regularity and source of fiber ranked third and fourth after immune health, Monheit said (ITC Insights 2021 Consumer Supplement User Prebiotic Market report).

Definitions & Differences
Importantly, not all prebiotics are fiber and not all fiber is prebiotic, Monheit emphasized. “Not all fibers are the same and it’s important for consumers and industry to make sure that suggested or implied benefits are capable of being delivered by the type of dietary fiber in their actual product. It is not sufficient for manufacturers to claim all potential benefits of the vast number of dietary fibers in a product offering one or a small number of these fibers.”

Also important to note, he continued, “is that insoluble and soluble fiber descriptors are being phased out in scientific communities, but are still often used in consumer communication and media coverage.”

Dan Gallaher, PhD, director of undergraduate studies in nutrition, department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, initially proposed new categories for dietary fiber in a 2006 article based upon their mechanisms: 1) bulking, 2) viscosity, and 3) fermentation. 

“These distinctions are not yet understood by consumers, but the importance of prebiotic fibers is rapidly growing,” said Monheit. “Only the fermentable fibers are prebiotic, but bulking and viscous fibers can also impact the site of fermentation within the gut. Bulking fibers are primarily responsible for preventing constipation and regularity. Viscosity fibers thicken the contents of the intestinal tract and can lower the absorption of nutrients (i.e., cholesterol and glucose). Fermentable fibers are consumed by the intestinal microbiota, producing a range of bioactive metabolites that are turning out to be very important for metabolic and systemic health.”

Diedrich also emphasized that not all fibers are prebiotic, saying prebiotics have been defined as “a selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers benefits upon host well-being and health,” (Slavin, J. Nutrients, 2013).

Although consumers may not understand the difference between prebiotic fiber and other fibers, they are certainly aware of how they feel after eating and drinking, she added. “Digestive tolerance is incredibly important. In fact, nearly 70% of consumers said they would not purchase a product again if it caused gastrointestinal discomfort (ADM Outside VoiceSM). People might not know the exact source of digestive discomfort, but it still impacts repeat purchases. Consumers often blame their personal diet choices or emotional health conditions; however, the fiber source in better-for-you food and beverages may be playing a role in their discomfort.”

Health Benefits & Research
Jing Zhou, business scientist nutrition, Ingredion Incorporated, noted the most commonly referenced health benefits of dietary fibers are: “reduced blood total and/or LDL cholesterol levels, attenuation of postprandial glycemia/insulinemia, reduced blood pressure, increased fecal bulk/laxation, decreased transit time, increased colonic fermentation/short chain fatty acid production, positive modulation of colonic microflora, weight loss/reduction in adiposity, increased satiety (Food & Nutrition Research, 2010), and improving calcium absorption and bone health (Nutrition Reviews, 2020).”

Everyone could stand to benefit from more fiber in their diet, said Diedrich, citing national surveys that indicate only about 5% of the U.S. population meets recommendations (Am. J. Lifestyle Med. 2016). The current Daily Value (DV) for total dietary fiber is 28 g per day (for a typical 2,000-calorie-per-day diet).

“We see that different generations require different approaches to overcome this fiber gap,” Diedrich said. “Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are more likely to focus on nutrition for prolonged health and well-being. Gen Z and Millennials are interested in proactive management for healthy aging.”

Over 30 years of clinical research and almost 100 published studies demonstrate the physiological benefits of ADM’s Fibersol prebiotic fiber, noted Diedrich. “Our product can support consumers in their digestive health and weight management efforts. Specifically, Fibersol can promote the growth of microbes in the gut, and reduce the rise in blood glucose levels following a meal. By helping to provide feelings of satiety and delaying post-meal hunger, our dietary fiber ingredient is well-suited to products targeting weight management and proactive health solutions. Additionally, Fibersol is well tolerated at up to 68 g per day, as demonstrated in results from published research.”

Prebiotic science is expanding rapidly, said Monheit, “and we are just scratching the surface of research of the microbiome.”

As for prebiotic resistant starch, “there is a tremendous amount of research underway in populations with a wide variety of health conditions,” he added. “These clinical trials reflect the potential for a wide range of systemic benefits beyond gut health and immunity typically associated with prebiotic fibers, but also reflect the early stage of research. Many of them are examining the different microbiota in people with different health conditions and the impact of resistant starch on these populations. Additional studies will be needed to begin to correlate and potentially determine cause and effect relationships between resistant starch and health outcomes in these different populations.”

In terms of recent research, high-endurance exercise has been shown to negatively impact the intestinal microbiome, but a new study demonstrated that a combination of prebiotic fibers (resistant starch, arabinoxylan, citrus fiber, beta-glucan, inulin, and rye fiber) significantly improved the microbiota profile of an elite athlete.(Frontiers in Nutrition 2021).

Dr. Francine Marques of Monash University in Australia has shown that prebiotic resistant starch can prevent the development of hypertension (Circulation 2016). She is continuing this work with a new clinical trial investigating whether a specialized type of resistant starch can decrease blood pressure of hypertensive individuals through modulation of the gut microbiota.

Another clinical trial concluded that resistant starch increased satiety in healthy adults. This Italian trial formulated biscuits with flour containing different levels of resistant starch (International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2021).

Dr. Stephen O’Keefe is now studying the impact of prebiotic resistant starch supplementation on colon cancer risk of Alaska Native people (BMJ Open 2021). This study also includes an analysis of the impact on the oral and colonic microbiome and biofluid metabolome, as well as cancer biomarkers. 

Innovation Ahead
According to Monheit, market innovation has been led by a deeper interest and understanding of the microbiome, and that in turn has been driven by “data, AI, diagnostics, tools to understand microbial activity, and the beginning of connecting the dots on how important a healthy microbiota is.”

For example, Regular Girl is a brand that offers a line of supplements that feature prebiotic fiber and probiotics to support regularity and gut health. On the beverage side, Olipop is billed as “a new kind of soda” that features 9 grams of fiber to support digestive health and just 2-5 grams of sugar.

“We are also seeing innovative resistant starch products,” said Monheit, “which include new botanical sources (beans, high amylose wheat, resistant starch modified to chemically add additional butyrate for release within the large intestine, and green banana powder).”

Tatiana Russev, global senior manager, Ingredion Incorporated, connected innovation in the fiber segment to “customization and personalization.” Consumers are concerned about and paying more attention to their diets, “so being able to communicate the benefit of the product in a clear way is also key,” she said.

Scientific foundations are very important to ensure the product will deliver on consumer expectations, she continued. “Versatile and science-based products that can be used in different applications to facilitate and increase daily intake of fibers are a differential for the industry, especially for manufacturers that produce several types of end products,” Russev said.

Ingredion’s NUTRAFLORA prebiotic fiber is available in liquid and powder versions and can be used in a range of applications, including supplements, nutritional bars, and beverages, supporting a prebiotic claim in the U.S. with low dosages of 1.1 g/day.

“Ingredion’s VERSAFIBE 1490 and NOVELOSE 3490 dietary fibers are insoluble fibers that not only provide high fiber content but contain more than 80% less kcal/g than wheat or corn flours,” said Russev.

Foods, beverages, and supplements with dietary fiber can play a big part in delivering the nutrition needed in contemporary wellness lifestyles, said Diedrich. “Consumers want products that deliver a range of positive and proactive nutritional benefits. Fibersol dietary fiber supports satiety, digestive health, as well as calories and sugar reduction. Plus, Fibersol is available in both dry and liquid formats for exceptional versatility across applications. In nutraceuticals, Fibersol helps increase total soluble fiber, replace calories (when used in place of fully caloric carbohydrates), enhance satiety, promote digestive regularity, and attenuate blood glucose following a meal. At ADM, we help customers solve a variety of formulation and processing challenges with Fibersol and complementary ingredients from our portfolio, as well as our scientific expertise and technical ingenuity.”

Fibersol is neutral in flavor and color, has low viscosity, and is water-soluble, so it can be added to beverages like juices, coffees, nutritional drinks, and sparkling water said Diedrich. “It’s also heat, acid, shear, freeze, and thaw stable, and is a low net carb solution. It works well in yogurt, ice cream, baked snacks, breakfast cereals, high-protein beverages, and reduced-sugar bakery.”  

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Sean Moloughney has been the Editor of Nutraceuticals World since 2012. He can be reached at SMoloughney@RodmanMedia.com.