1. Sources of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber usually refers to a polymer of carbohydrates with a polymerization degree DP ≥ 3, which cannot be digested and absorbed by the human small intestine and has health implications for the human body. Dietary fiber can be divided into soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber. In addition to fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides, other ingredients that can provide sources of dietary fiber include: isomaltooligosaccharides, inulin, fructooligosaccharides, polyglucose, xylooligosaccharides β- Dextran (derived from oats), resistant dextrin, etc.
Recently, the US FDA officially included arabic gum in dietary fiber, becoming the tenth component that can be included in dietary fiber on nutrition labels after mixed plant cell wall fibers, arabinoxylan, sodium alginate, inulin and inulin fructose, high amylose, galactooligosaccharides, polyglucose, resistant maltodextrin/dextrin, and resistant starch RS4.
2. The application of dietary fiber in the food and beverage industry
Products with gut health as their selling point are showing a significant growth trend globally, with an average annual growth rate of 21% in the release of new products containing dietary fiber.
It has been over four years since Coca Cola launched "Sprite Fiber+" and "Coca Cola Fiber+" in early 2018, and since then, other food brands have also launched many fiber added foods. Dietary fiber is considered the seventh largest nutrient in humans, and now, like sugar free and probiotics, it has become an innovative path that food and beverage brands cannot avoid and cannot ignore.
Sprite fiber+Coca Cola fiber+claims that each bottle contains the equivalent of 2 apples (7.5 grams) of dietary fiber, which can meet approximately 30% of adult daily dietary fiber needs; Yuanqi Forest's "Burning Tea" is positioned as a light functional tea beverage, using high-quality oolong tea with added dietary fiber - polyglucose and erythritol; Sano Group's new product, Kukou Glucose Sports Beverage, is based on the concept of "glucose+dietary fiber". The new product is zero fat, zero pigment, and zero carbonation, with each 520ml bottle containing 3.12 grams of dietary fiber.
In China, the development of dietary fiber industry is relatively rapid. In 2019, the output value reached 3.831 billion yuan, with a production volume of 189500 tons. It is expected that by 2026, the output value will reach 5.527 billion yuan, with a production volume of 303600 tons. The domestic dietary fiber market will usher in a golden period of development.
3. Consumer Awareness of Dietary Fiber
In recent years, due to the strong demands of consumers for health, especially in maintaining or reducing weight through diet, weight management has received attention from consumers. The ingredients with intestinal health benefits provide an effective and reliable method for weight management. For example, when it comes to the active ingredients required for weight management products, dietary fiber and probiotics play a positive role. According to data from Yingminte, 62% of Chinese consumers hope to add fiber to their meal replacement products, and 48% of consumers hope to add probiotics.
More and more consumers have realized the importance of dietary fiber. According to data from Yingminte, 79% of Chinese consumers improve their intestinal health by consuming high fiber foods and consider them effective. Unlike probiotics that provide additional motivation for intestinal performance, dietary fiber is considered an essential part of daily nutrition to maintain normal intestinal function. Its application is very prominent in various food and beverage categories. Compared to probiotics, the advantage of dietary fiber is that it has a long shelf life and does not require refrigeration conditions. Therefore, it is a multifunctional ingredient choice that helps consumers improve their intestinal health.
4. China's dietary fiber industry has entered a period of rapid growth
In May, Talay Group announced its wholly-owned acquisition of China's leading dietary fiber enterprise, Quantum High Tech (Guangdong) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. This acquisition can consolidate its leading position in the rapidly growing global dietary fiber market, add new, professional, and complementary products to its product portfolio, and bring strong research and development capabilities through proprietary production processes and technologies, strengthen dietary fiber reinforcement systems, improve comprehensive solution capabilities, and significantly expand its business and customer demand in China and Asia.
Quantum High Tech specializes in the research and development, production, and sales of Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and Galactooligosaccharides (GOS). Fructooligosaccharides (produced from sucrose) and galactooligosaccharides (produced from lactose) together account for approximately 25% of the global dietary fiber market share, with an expected annual growth of about 6%. At present, the majority of its sales come from China, and it is expected that the market for Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) will grow at a rate of about 10% per year.
In addition, the gap between the product quality and international brands of local leading enterprises such as Baolingbao Biotechnology and Bailong Chuangyuan Biotechnology in Shandong is gradually decreasing, and they are also in a stage of rapid development. From the perspective of application scope, dietary fiber is mainly used in fields such as dairy products, beverages, meat processed foods, and baked goods.
5. Precautions for claiming the function of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber is a non core nutrient and is not mandatory for labeling in food standards. If the product itself contains dietary fiber, it can be labeled as dietary fiber based on the actual detection value, or calculated as soluble dietary fiber, or as insoluble dietary fiber. If soluble dietary fiber is added to the product, it can also be indicated in the form of dietary fiber monomers, such as dietary fiber (calculated by polyfructose) or dietary fiber (calculated by polyfructose and inulin), but the nutritional content table should indicate the content of soluble dietary fiber monomers in the final product, not the amount added.
5.1Does dietary fiber participate in energy calculation
The energy conversion coefficient of dietary fiber is 8kJ/g, which includes the dietary fiber contained in the product itself and other monomeric components of dietary fiber such as undigested oligosaccharides, undigested starch, resistant dextrin, etc. When dietary fiber is labeled on the product nutrition label, the energy provided by dietary fiber should be calculated. If dietary fiber is not selected for labeling, it can be excluded from the energy calculation.
5.2How to claim dietary fiber
The content of dietary fiber claims to comply with the requirements of GB 28050. If the total amount of dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber, or monomer components) is ≥ 3g/100g (solid) [or ≥ 1.5g/100mL (liquid), ≥ 1.5 g/420 kJ], it can be labeled as "dietary fiber source" or "containing dietary fiber" on the food label.
If the total amount of dietary fiber (or soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber or monomer components) is ≥ 6g/100g (solid) [or ≥ 3g/100 mL (liquid), ≥ 3g/420 kJ], it can be labeled as "high dietary fiber", "rich in dietary fiber", or "a good source of dietary fiber".
5.3How to declare the function of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber can be claimed for its function when it meets one of the conditions for content claim or comparative claim. The functional claim of dietary fiber can be labeled as "dietary fiber helps maintain normal intestinal function" or "dietary fiber is a low-energy substance", and its brand name must not exceed the food name and trademark.
5.4Can dietary fiber be quantitatively labeled
If soluble dietary fiber monomers are added to the product, it can be claimed to have added dietary fiber on the label. At this time, the amount of dietary fiber added needs to be indicated in the ingredient table, and the content of dietary fiber can also be indicated in the nutrition table.
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd. a integrated enterprise which is focus on natural products, Plant extract related products and services.We mainly focus on pharmaceutical, functional food, Freeze-dried powder,Natural Pigment,Homology of medicine and food,beverages and other business services.
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2023-12-28
Shaanxi Huike Botanical Development Co., Ltd.
