Dietary fibre is associated with positive health benefits, the most recognised being maintaining digestive health and lowering the risks of several non-communicable diseases.  

Professionals from across the food, nutrition, and health space have urged consumers to include more fibre in their diet for years. Despite the mounting evidence of the importance of fibre, in particular, the fibre gap persists. The World Health Organisation documents this and is highly concerning to health experts in clinical practice, public health, and academic realms.  

Most consumers fail to meet this dietary requirement, and food manufacturers are being called upon to bring foods with added fibre to the market, providing a convenient and easier way to increase fibre intake. 

The growing demand and awareness of fibre importance is prompting innovation across all categories. Fibre fortification claims in food and beverage launches are increasing globally, featuring 4% annual growth when comparing 2017/Q4-2018Q3 and 2021 Q4- 2022 Q3 launches (CAGR), according to Innova Market Insights.  

Foodology by Univar Solutions is exploring a few trends propelling the interest in foods enriched with fibre and the ingredients to aid product formulators in successfully addressing the fibre gap. 

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)

As part of the "Total Wellbeing" trend, consumers increasingly treat their bodies like an ecosystem and search for more holistic approaches to health and wellbeing. This has seen awareness of the gut and the microbiome gain traction, with nearly seven in 10 (68%) UK consumers calling the gut an essential component of overall health (Mintel, 2023). 

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are soluble fibres that are fermented by Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. These beneficial bacteria increase while they ferment the fibres and they produce short-chain fatty acids, which are associated with health benefits. This is why it is also called a pre-biotic fibre. FOS is the leading dietary fibre in food and drink globally and is mostly applied in snacks, bakeries, baby food, nutritional drinks, and dairy.

Soluble fibres

Manufacturers can use various types of fibre to help achieve sugar reduction whilst helping to maintain the flavour and texture of products. Fibres like ScFOS (short chain fructooligosaccharide) are derived from beet sugar and offer a milk-sweet taste, good solubility, and natural credentials that can contribute to improved taste and texture and bulking possibilities in applications such as bakery, dairy, and cereals.

Actilight® by Tereos is a concentrate of soluble fibres produced from sugar beets due to a bioconversion process inspired by nature. Just one teaspoon of Actilight® is equivalent to the fibre obtained from 10 bananas.  

Galactooligosaccarides (GOS) 

GOS can be applied in functional foods, dairy products, and milk powders. BIOLIGO® GL 5700 IMF GOS from Ingredion is a high-quality GOS that meets strict ingredient sourcing requirements for infant formulas and growing-up milk. With 20 years of infant nutrition expertise, this soluble dietary fibre is derived from lactose in syrup form and contains 57% GOS (dry basis).  

It offers an easy substitution for other GOS ingredients, matching their sugar profile already available in the market. By incorporating BIOLIGO® GL 5700 IMF GOS into your products, you can bring them closer to the gold standard of mother's milk, supporting infant health effectively. 

Inulin  

Another excellent source of dietary fibre is inulin which occurs naturally. It is perfect for adding bulk and fibre to food applications without contributing to significant caloric content. It also has prebiotic properties, which aid in maintaining a healthy gut and improved digestion. Inulin's ability to retain water and its solubility can also enhance the texture and mouthfeel of products, allowing manufacturers to reduce fat and sugar in their recipes.  

Inulin from our supplier partner IMAG is extracted from agave and available in conventional and organic versions. The solution also fits perfectly within ongoing trends such as clean label, sustainable, and 'better for you' formulations. Popular applications include non-dairy ice cream and milk and low-alcohol beverages.  

Enzymatic solutions for fibre enrichment in dairy 

At Foodology by Univar Solutions, we have identified that formulating for fibre enrichment is challenging depending on our consumers' type of food and dietary requirements.

With Saphera® Fiber from supplier partner Novonesis, you can enhance the nutritional composition of dairy products by reducing sugars without compromising sweetness. Additionally, it boosts dietary fibre content and enables the possibility of making low-lactose claims. 

Maintaining consumer expectations by ensuring a familiar and pleasing taste, mouthfeel, appearance, and texture is critical for a product's success. Through our vast portfolio of soluble and insoluble fibres, you should be able to discover the best fibre-enriching ingredients to suit your recipe needs.  

Aliquam lacus eros, suscipit at laoreet iaculis, ornare vitae leo. Aenean volutpat risus diam, nec fermentum magna blandit a. Nam mollis faucibus ante eu faucibus. Ut consequat sed nisl vel condimentum. Praesent nec lacus nisl. Ut ac tellus nisi.
Nulla tempor consectetur enim, sed laoreet orci commodo vitae. Nulla facilisi. Donec eu felis sapien. Mauris sapien magna, suscipit eu leo scelerisque, lobortis scelerisque arcu. Aenean lacus metus, ullamcorper non venenatis at, tincidunt et diam. Vivamus dapibus ipsum ante, a mattis arcu mollis sed. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Nunc rhoncus felis a scelerisque gravida. Nunc porttitor, dui in ullamcorper eleifend, diam nibh iaculis risus, et sagittis justo neque vitae ligula. Vivamus semper placerat diam, at fringilla mi.