The prebiotic fiber, called Nutraflora L95-S, is an expansion to Ingredion’s Nutraflora prebiotic fiber scFOS portfolio, according to the company. It contains 95% scFOS (short chain fructooligosaccharides), one of the fructans that can occur in foods such as artichokes, leeks and garlic.
Nutraflora L95-S is aligned with the clean label trend, and can meet key consumer requirements, Ingredion said in a statement. It is also non-GMO, and is listed in the National Organic Program list of ingredients allowed in organic foods under 5% content.
“Scientific evidence indicates digestive benefits of consuming scFOS in healthy and in populations with some degree of intestinal problems. scFOS is fermentable in the intestine resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids and bacterial shifts, thereby fostering favorable environment,” Vishnu Gourineni, senior associate at Ingredion, told Bakeryandsnacks.com.
How can it be used by manufacturers?
Currently available in both powder and liquid forms, Nutraflora L95-S can be used for binding syrups in nutrition bars, Maria Tolchinsky, senior business development manager of global nutrition at Ingredion, said.
“Our prebiotic fiber adds humectancy to bars and baked goods, and has slightly sweet flavor, which makes it ideal for reduced sugar applications,” she said. “Due to the unique structure of scFOS, Nutraflora prebiotic fiber does not participate in Maillard browning and as such behaves very similarly to sugar in bakery applications.”
Health benefits and cost effectiveness
When scFOS partially replaces sugar (30% sugar replacement) in dessert applications, it has shown to demonstrate lower postprandial glycemic response in healthy people, Tolchinsky said, and it enhances mineral absorption, such as calcium absorption, and supports bone health.
Nutraflora L95-S is effective at 1.1 grams per day, which is very low compared to other fructans, such as Inulin or Oligofructose, Tolchinsky added.
“Given the low effective dose, the prebiotic fiber allows for cost effective fiber fortification and digestive health claims,” senior manager of nutrition marketing at Ingredion, Santiago Vega, said.
Vega believes that digestive and immune health continues to be of high interest for consumers and this trend is set to stay as more knowledge is gained about the benefits of a healthy microbiome.
Ingredion is currently waiting for Thai government approval to acquire a local rice flour business, Sun Flour, to expand its portfolio and geographic scope, this site previously reported.