Gut Health Meets Sugar Reduction: A Winning Combo for Health-Conscious Consumers

With the rise of holistic health trends, more people are prioritizing their nutrition and overall well-being. According to 2024 Innova Market Insights, fiber (prebiotics) has emerged as one of the top functional ingredients, nearly as popular as protein.

New and innovative prebiotic ingredients offer a strategic solution to enhancing the appeal of food and beverage products by combining fiber enrichment with sugar reduction benefits. Replacing sugar with prebiotic fiber gives manufacturers a unique opportunity to create clean-label products that incorporate "gut health" and "reduced sugar" claims, boosting their appeal to health-conscious consumers.

The Overlap Between Fiber and Sugar Trends

Health-conscious consumers increasingly embrace a holistic approach to wellness, focusing on long-term dietary changes and proactive nutrition. Fiber fortification is a fast-growing trend, with recent surveys showing that 40% of consumers had a strong interest in fiber-rich products. Manufacturers are incorporating "fiber" and "prebiotic" claims into a wide range of products, including meat substitutes, meal replacement drinks, carbonated beverages, confectionery, ice cream, chocolate, and gummies.

Sugar intake is another top concern for health-conscious consumers, who view it alongside salt and fat as unhealthy. In fact, consumers named sugar the #1 ingredient they sought to limit or reduce.

Sugar reduction is a key focus, and surprisingly, it overlaps with other nutritional trends like fiber and prebiotic enrichment. While manufacturers are exploring ways to reduce sugar and meet consumers' dietary expectations, prebiotic fibers have emerged as a functional ingredient with the potential to satisfy both trends. Replacing sugar with prebiotic fiber allows manufacturers to formulate products that combine "gut health" and "reduced sugar" claims.

Unlocking The Potential Of Prebiotic Fiber

Prebiotic fibers are known for their unique nutritional benefits adding dietary fiber to products. Prebiotics like fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin, derived from chicory root or (FOS) from cane sugar, have gained recognition for their ability to promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and promote overall good digestive and immune health.

Beyond its nutritional value, dietary fiber offers functional benefits such as reducing fat and sugar content in food applications. As a result, it's become a sought-after ingredient in products catering to health-conscious consumers.

At A&B Ingredients, we offer several prebiotic fiber ingredients, including inulin from chicory root and short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS) from cane sugar, to help manufacturers enhance their products with fiber while reducing sugar.  

Fructo-Oligosaccharide

FOSLIFE®, a short-chain fructo-oligosaccharide, is a liquid fiber syrup produced from cane sugar. It offers manufacturers an easy and low-cost solution for sugar reduction in the indulgent product category. FOSLIFE® is a healthier way to create lower-sugar foods and beverages with the added benefit of dietary fiber. With a sweetness value of 70% that of sugar and no aftertaste, it is easy to incorporate into various products, like baked goods, nutritional bars, gummies, dairy and non-dairy, desserts, and candy, like caramels.  Interestingly scFOS has enhanced sweetening benefits over inulin; it allows for both calorie and sugar reduction.

FOSLIFE® is an excellent low-calorie sugar option suitable for various low-calorie or lower energy-dense food products. It is a 100% soluble, low glycemic index (GI), and low-calorie dietary fiber. As a prebiotic fiber, FOSLIFE® offers the same digestive health benefits, enhancing the overall nutritional profile of food and beverage products.

Learn more about FOSLIFE sweet soluble prebiotic fiber.
 

Chicory Root Fiber

Inulin from chicory root is an ideal solution for fiber enrichment, offering benefits such as sugar replacement, fat replacement, caloric reduction, and improved mouthfeel in products with delicate texture requirements. Chicory fiber has a clean taste without off-notes and, therefore, doesn't require masking solutions. Chicory fiber can be used to reduce the off-notes associated with high-intensity sweeteners in reduced-sugar formulations. 

As a low-energy-dense ingredient, it conveys only 2 kcal per gram compared to 4 kcal for sugar or 9 kcal for fat. This versatility appeals to consumers looking for healthier alternatives in their diets, such as low-fat, low-calorie, and keto products. Chicory root fiber has nutritional, functional, and clean-label appeal, which makes it a "win-win-win" solution and the ingredient of choice for manufacturers trying to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers.

Learn more about Chicory Root Fiber.

Understanding Prebiotics Role In Gut Health

Fiber and prebiotics serve as essential nutrients that nourish beneficial gut bacteria, promoting digestive health. Prebiotics, in particular, indirectly support the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria, contributing to overall gut health. Globally, health experts stress the importance of adequate fiber intake for overall well-being and disease prevention, citing its positive effects on heart health, diabetes, and various cancer types.

Despite the growing awareness of its benefits, a significant fiber gap persists, particularly notable in the United States. The low fiber intake remains a pressing public health concern, highlighting the need for strategies to bridge this gap and promote better dietary habits.

Embracing a holistic approach to health, consumers increasingly seek better-for-you foods and beverages that support digestive health and foster better health. By integrating prebiotics, like inulin and oligosaccharides, into their product, manufacturers can meet this demand while offering science-backed, nutrition-focused solutions that align with consumer preferences.

As a clean-label ingredient provider, we continue to see growth in the prebiotic category and are eager to help manufacturers innovate with prebiotic fibers to create added-value products.

Contact us to learn more about our functional, clean-label ingredient solutions.