Stand out from the shelf and put health
first with prebiotic chicory root fibres.
If you are looking to differentiate from all other products on the market, then innovating with proven prebiotics should be
your next New Product Development.
When it comes to food and drink choices, consumers often take into consideration a manifold of factors, from price to
health benefits, convenience to taste. But figures from Mintel show that when it comes to defining the value of products,
people rank health benefits and natural ingredients higher than a lower price1, even in this economic climate.
This trend is set to continue for the long-term, as shoppers seek to look after their future health. In fact, according to
BENEO global research, circa. two-thirds of respondents feel that by choosing healthy food they are taking control of their
future health (68% of US, 62% of European consumers).
One key area that you as food manufacturer can address in your NPD strategy is digestive health. To develop tasty gut
friendly foods and beverages, you can look towards prebiotic chicory root fibres.
Supporting Health with the Help of Prebiotics
According to the international consensus definition (by ISAPP), a prebiotic is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by
host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.”2 Prebiotics help the good bacteria which are already naturally present
in the body to grow. Consumers increasingly recognize the relevance of the gut microbiome. In fact, BENEO’s 2023 survey
revealed that about 6 out of 10 consumers in the US associate prebiotics with being healthy and think these support
digestive health (in Europe, this is ca. 1 in 2).3
1
Mintel: How to make your brand invaluable in a cost-of-living crisis, global, 2022
2
Gibson GR, Hutkins R, Sanders ME, Prescott SL, Reimer RA , Salminen SJ, Scott K, Stanton C, Swanson KS, Cani PD, Verbeke K, Reid G (2017) Ex-
pert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and
scope of prebiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14(8):491–502. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrgastro.2017.75.pdf
3
BENEO’s Global Consumer Survey on Prebiotics, 2023
There are only three prebiotics which
are scientifically and clinically proven
to be classified as such. BENEO’s
chicory root fibres, inulin and oligofructose
(FOS), belong to this exclusive group of
proven prebiotics, that offer claim possibilities
in EU, US and many other countries. In fact, a
recently published systematic literature review based
on 50 human intervention studies confirmed that chicory
root fibre intake (starting at 3g/day) promotes significant
growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria in the gut in all age groups
and improves bowel function parameters.4 Other benefits provided
by chicory root fibres relate to blood sugar management5, immune health6,
weight management7,8 and calcium absorption for bone health9,10.
Chicory Root Fibres as your solid prebiotic choice
Given the wide variety of attractive health benefits, it is no surprise the future of prebiotic-enriched products looks strong
and globally, launches with prebiotic ingredients are gaining traction to answer consumer demand.
Looking at the expectations of those consumers that buy foods or drinks containing prebiotics, a recent global FMCG
Gurus survey reveals that for three out of four, product efficacy, health claims, and science-based claims are significant
purchasing determinants.11 This highlights the need for manufacturers to choose scientifically proven prebiotic
ingredients such as chicory root fibres.
Developers interested in working with prebiotic dietary fibre are advised to investigate carefully, as not all dietary fibres
are prebiotic. Navigating through the abundance of products making a prebiotic claim, you will encounter a variety of
ingredients using the term “prebiotic” without the necessary scientific backing. Resistant dextrins, such as soluble corn
fibre and soluble tapioca fibre, resistant starch, tapioca starch, polydextrose, gum acacia – while some may be considered
“candidate prebiotics,” others fall short. They are using the term incorrectly, contributing to confusion in the market. To
date there are only 3 proven prebiotics: inulin, oligofructose (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).
Simply looking at the origin of where fibres come from can also show an obvious difference: made by nature or by
chemistry? Inulin and oligofructose are naturally occurring fibres in many vegetables and fruits; and chicory root is
used as origin for extraction thanks to the high amount of inulin found in the roots. Other fibres on the market, such
as resistant dextrins or so-called “soluble corn fibre”, are not extracted from corn as the name implies. They are in fact
derived from glucose/starch syrup, through a heat process involving chemical and enzymatic modification. Such a
treatment creates synthesized bindings that are partially not available in nature and enzymes in the human body cannot
deal with them.
4
Nagy DU, Sándor-Bajusz KA, Bódy B, Decsi T, Van Harsselaar J, Theis S & Lohner S (2022) Effect of chicory-derived inulin-type fructans on abundance of Bifidobacterium and on
bowel function: a systematic review with meta-analyses. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Published 14 July 2022, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2098246
5
Lightowler H, Thondre S, Holz A et al. (2018) Replacement of glycemic carbohydrates by inulin-type fructans from chicory (oligofructose, inulin) reduces the postprandial
blood glucose and insulin response to foods: Report of two double-blind, randomized, controlled trials. Eur J Nutr 57(3): 1259–1268. https://rd.springer.com/content/
pdf/10.1007%2Fs00394-017-1409-z.pdf
6
Vogt L, Meyer D, Pullens G et al. (2015) Immunological properties of inulin-type fructans. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 55(3): 414–436. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24915372
7
Cani P, Joly E, Horsmans Y, Delzenne NM (2006) Oligofructose promotes satiety in healthy human: a pilot study. Eur J Clin Nutr 60(5) :567–572. http://www.nature.com/ejcn/
journal/v60/n5/pdf/1602350a.pdf
8
McCann MT, Livingstone MBE, Wallace JMW, Gallagher AM, Weich RW (2011) Oligofructose-enriched Inulin supplementation decreases energy intake in overweight and obese men
and women. Obesity Reviews, 12(S1):63–279. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00889.x/pdf
9
Abrams SA, Hawthorne KM, Aliu O, Hicks PD, Chen Z, Griffin IJ (2007) An inulin-type fructan enhances calcium absorption primarily via an effect on colonic absorption in humans. J
Nutr 137(10):2208–2212. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/10/2208.full.pdf
10
Abrams SA, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Liang L, Gunn SK, Darlington G, Ellis KJ (2005) A combination of prebiotic short- and long-chain inulin-type fructans enhances calcium
absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82:471-476. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16087995/
11
FMCG Gurus, Prebiotics survey, Q2 2022. A total of 10,000 consumers were surveyed across 10 countries (1,000 per country), here: filtered by consumers who purchase prebiotics,
n=1,260.
BENEO_paper Chicory Root Fibres_EN_202401_v1_web
This information is presented in good faith and believed to be correct, nevertheless, no responsibilities warranties as to the completeness of this information can be taken. This
information is supplied upon the condition that the persons receiving the same will make their own determination as to its suitability for their purposes prior to use. It is strongly
recommended to consult and apply all national feed legislation (e.g. legislation on claims, communication towards the consumer, etc.) prior to any communication to consumers. This
information does not contain any warranty that the supply or the use of the products in any territory is not an infringement of the rights of third parties in industrial or intellectual property.
It can also not be regarded as an encouragement to use our products in violation of existing patents or legal provisions in the matter of feed stuffs.
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