How dietary fiber empowers food and beverage innovation and development？

Sources of Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber usually refers to polymers of carbohydrates with a degree of polymerization DP ≥ 3, which cannot be digested and absorbed by the human small intestine, and which are of health significance to the human body. Dietary fiber can be divided into soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. In addition to oligofructose and oligogalactose, ingredients that can provide a source of dietary fiber include: oligoisomaltose, inulin, polyfructose, polydextrose, oligosaccharides, β-glucan (oat source), and resistant dextrin.
Recently, the U.S. FDA formally included gum arabic in dietary fiber, making it the tenth ingredient that can be counted as dietary fiber on nutrition labels after mixed plant cell wall fibers, arabinoxylan, sodium alginate, inulin and inulin-type fructose, high straight-chain starch, galacto-oligosaccharides, polydextrose, resistant maltodextrins/dextrins, and resistant starch RS4.
Application of dietary fiber in the food and beverage industry
Products that “sell” on gut health are showing significant growth globally, with the number of new product launches containing dietary fiber growing at an average annual rate of 21%.
It has been more than four years since Coca-Cola launched “Sprite Fiber+” and “Coke Fiber+” in early 2018, and since then, other food brands have also launched a number of fiber-added food products. Dietary fiber is considered to be the seventh most important nutrient for humans, and it has now become a path of innovation for food and beverage brands that cannot be ignored, along with sugar-free and probiotics.
“Sprite Fiber+ and Coca-Cola Fiber+ claim that each bottle contains dietary fiber equivalent to 2 apples (7.5 grams), and that each bottle can satisfy about 30% of an adult’s daily need for dietary fiber; and Yuanqi Forest’s “Burning Tea”, which is positioned as a light functional food. ”, located in the light functional tea drinks, the use of high-quality oolong tea to add dietary fiber – polydextrose and erythritol; Sanno Group to focus on the “glucose + dietary fiber” concept of the new product –Cool Mouth Glucose Sports Drink, the new zero fat, zero pigment, zero carbonation, each bottle of 520 ml of the new product is rich in 3.12 grams of dietary fiber.
In China, the dietary fiber industry is developing relatively rapidly, with the output value reaching 3.831 billion yuan and the production reaching 189,500 tons in 2019, and it is expected that by 2026, the output value will reach 5.527 billion yuan and the production will reach 303,600 tons. The domestic dietary fiber market will usher in a golden development period.
Consumer awareness of dietary fiber awakening
In recent years, weight management has gained importance among consumers due to their strong demand for health, especially in terms of maintaining or reducing weight through diet. Ingredients with gut health benefits offer an effective and reliable approach to weight management. For example, dietary fiber and probiotics play an active role when it comes to active ingredients required for weight management products. According to Ingenics, 62% of Chinese consumers want fiber in their meal replacement products and 48% want probiotics.
More and more consumers have recognized the importance of dietary fiber, with Ingredient data showing that 79% of Chinese consumers who consume high-fiber foods to improve their gut health issues believe they are effective. Unlike probiotics, which provide an extra boost to gut performance, dietary fiber is considered to be an integral part of daily nutrition to maintain proper gut function. Its use is prominent in various food and beverage categories. The advantage of dietary fiber over probiotics is that it has a long shelf life and does not require refrigeration. Therefore, it is a versatile ingredient option to help consumers improve their gut health. China’s dietary fiber industry enters a period of rapid growth
In May, Tate & Lyle announced that it would wholly acquire China’s leading dietary fiber company, Quantum Hi-Tech (Guangdong) Biologicals Ltd. The acquisition strengthens its position as a leader in the fast-growing global dietary fiber market, adds new, specialized and complementary products to the portfolio, brings strong R&D capabilities through proprietary manufacturing processes and technologies, strengthens the dietary fiber fortification system, improves integrated solution capabilities, and significantly expands its presence in China. integrated solutions capabilities, significantly expanding business and customer demand in China and Asia.
Quantum High Tech specializes in the research, development, production and marketing of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). Oligofructose (derived from sucrose) and oligogalactose (derived from lactose) together account for approximately 25% of the global dietary fiber market share and are expected to grow at approximately 6% per annum. Currently, most of its sales come from China, and the market for fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS) is expected to grow at about 10% per year.
In addition, Shandong’s leading local companies such as BaoLingBao Bio and BaLongChuangYuan BioTech are also developing rapidly, as the gap between their product quality and that of international brands is gradually narrowing. In terms of application, dietary fiber is mainly used in dairy products, beverages, processed meat and bakery products. Cautions on Dietary Fiber Functional Claims
Dietary fiber is not a core nutrient and does not belong to the mandatory labeling content of food standards. If the product itself contains dietary fiber, it can be labeled as dietary fiber based on the actual test value, or as soluble dietary fiber, or as insoluble dietary fiber. If additional soluble dietary fiber is added to the product, it can also be labeled in the form of dietary fiber monomer, such as dietary fiber (as polyfructose) or dietary fiber (as polyfructose and inulin), but the nutrient content table should be the content of soluble dietary fiber monomer in the final product, not the amount of addition.
1, whether dietary fiber involved in energy calculation dietary fiber energy conversion factor of 8kJ / g, including the product itself contains dietary fiber and other dietary fiber monomer components such as non-digestible oligosaccharides, non-digestible starch, resistant dextrin. When the product nutrition label labeling dietary fiber, dietary fiber and other energy provided should be calculated, if you do not choose to label dietary fiber, it can be excluded from the calculation of energy.
2, dietary fiber how to claim dietary fiber content claims should be consistent with the requirements of GB 28050. The total amount of dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber or single component) ≥ 3g/100g (solid) [or ≥ 1.5g/100mL (liquid), ≥ 1.5 g/ 420 kJ], can be marked on the food label “source of dietary fiber” or “contains dietary fiber”. Contains Dietary Fiber”.
If the total amount of dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber or single component) is ≥6g/100g (solid) [or ≥3g/100 mL (liquid), ≥3g/420 kJ], then the label can be marked with “high dietary fiber”, “dietary fiber rich”, or “high in dietary fiber”. “or “good source of dietary fiber”.
3、How to make functional claims for dietary fiber Dietary fiber can make functional claims when it meets one of the conditions of content claims or comparative claims. Functional claims for dietary fiber can be labeled as “Dietary fiber helps to maintain normal intestinal function” or “Dietary fiber is a low-energy substance”. “Its name shall not be larger than the name of food and trademark.
4, whether the quantitative labeling of dietary fiber if the product addition of soluble dietary fiber monomer, you can claim that the addition of dietary fiber on the label, at this time you need to identify the amount of dietary fiber added in the ingredient list, but also in the nutrient content table marked out the content of dietary fiber.