Trending prebiotics: Beneo highlights latest research on new and established health benefits

22 Mar 2024 --- With a heightened interest in gut health, offering F&B products with prebiotic fibers continues to expand. However, Beneo stresses that not all prebiotics are created equally, emphasizing the importance of science-backed health benefits.

Nutrition Insight catches up with Denisse Colindres, manager of nutrition communication in North America at Beneo, to discuss the established and upcoming research on the company’s primary prebiotic fibers sourced from chicory root — Orafti Inulin and Orafti Oligofructose. 

“Proven prebiotics to date include inulin, FOS (oligofructose) and GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides). Other potential candidates have some research behind them, but they still don’t have sufficient data.” 

She explains that these prebiotics have been endorsed by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), based on the definition “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.” Beneo uses this exact definition for its prebiotic fibers. 

“For us, it must be a selectively utilized substrate, but the link to the health benefit is also important because prebiotics are trending,” Colindres underscores. “The link to the health benefit is key to using the term prebiotic correctly.” 

Proven prebiotics 
Colindres explains that established research primarily focuses on inulin and oligofructose and combinations of the two. Leading research looks at the bifidogenic effect of prebiotics — stimulating the growth of bifidobacteria in the human gut. 

One of the most recent studies is a systematic review with meta-analyses involving the company’s chicory root fiber, published in 2022. 

“A systematic review with meta-analyses is the strongest level of evidence because there is less bias with that methodology. You can be more confident in a conclusion when you see systematic reviews with meta-analyses, and this one included 50 randomized controlled trials with chicory-derived inulin, oligofructose, or a combination,” outlines Colindres. 

“This is only chicory — the bifidogenic effect that we found is from 3 g per day, which is a very reasonable dose, especially when you need only 25% of that to put in a serving to claim in the US.”  

Beneo’s primary prebiotic fibers, inulin and oligofructose, are sourced from chicory root (Image credit: Beneo).She adds that the review included over 2,000 individuals. “There’s no other ingredient that has this kind of strong evidence, especially focused on the chicory derived, and confirms its status as proven prebiotic, according to the ISAPP definition.” 

The use and research on inulin and oligofructose have a long history, starting in the 1980s, explains Colindres. “Beneo got involved in this research with the chicory-derived inulin in the early 90s. It’s close to 30 years of research. It’s part of the history of the ingredients — other ingredients are newer and still building their research portfolio.” 

Examples of such newer prebiotic fibers that do not have the necessary scientific backing include soluble corn fiber, resistant starch and gum acacia. 

Colindres underlines that many prebiotic ingredients demonstrate a change in the gut microbiota, but proving a health benefit requires randomized control trials and human interventions that show the same consistent effect. 

Established and new benefits 
The established health benefits of Beneo’s prebiotic fibers include bowel function in adults and children, blood glucose management, immunity support through the prebiotic effect, improved bone health by increasing calcium absorption and weight management. 

“Most of the data is on reduction of calorie intake, but there’s some research on prebiotics, especially with chicory root fiber, naturally increasing the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels, for example, but a natural way of doing it,” Colindres explains. 

With these established benefits, manufacturers can make structure-function claims in the US and some in the EU. 

“In new areas, we need to build the research, but it’s good to see where it’s going,” she continues. 

Established health benefits of Beneo’s prebiotics include supporting immunity, bone health, digestion and weight management.Colindres highlights several emerging research topics on “mood and cognition, metabolic disease, inflammation and other areas like the elderly and frailty.” For example, in a recent study on the gut-brain axis, researchers found that oligofructose improved mood in people with mild to moderate feelings of anxiety and depression.

This study built on some existing research in the gut-brain axis, where some clinical trials support the mood benefits of prebiotics and GOS. Moreover, she explains that gut connections and the gut-brain axis are trending. 

“This is especially after COVID-19, where people’s levels of depression and anxiety were off the charts, and it just became a genuine concern for a lot of people.”

Leveraging research 
Beneo uses studies it conducts to develop new research approaches, explains Colindres. 

“Whenever we see something that’s gut fermentation related, and we see a clear benefit and path, we want to do more research. We’re a science-based company and want to be best in class with our customers, offering them an ingredient with sufficient science behind it and allowing them to make claims and products without worrying that they’re not sufficiently supported.” 

Moreover, the Beneo Institute helps to spread the outcomes of nutrition science, improving access to research on physiology and legal aspects. Colindres explains that the institute has three pillars — nutrition science, nutrition communication and regulation. 

The department of nutrition science collaborates with institutions and oversees what is being published and research trends. 

“Part of the nutrition communication work we do is reaching out to healthcare professionals,” asserts Colindres. In the US, we do a lot of work with dietitians. We go to symposiums, talk to dietitians and share our research with them to educate them on the research of inulin and oligofructose as ingredients that can benefit health in general.” 

“It’s key for an ingredient supplier to make sure that the consumer has an idea of the ingredient,” she concludes. “That’s what we want to do by reaching out to healthcare professionals — making sure they know it’s a natural fiber, a proven prebiotic and it has all these health benefits on bowel regularity, mood or immunity.” 

By Jolanda van Hal