While protein continues to dominate the conversation around macro nutrients and wellness, fiber is moving to the front of the conversation as consumers increasingly gravitate towards nutrient-dense, functional foods that still taste good.
Spate data shows that interest in fiber is tied to specific need states like gut health, colon health and hormonal conditions, like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
While fiber’s health halo is well known among consumers, the challenge with incorporating it into more products is around taste, texture and efficacy, particularly around gastrointestinal discomfort.
These challenges are nothing new to formulators, with some companies like Icon Foods offering a two fiber-stacked solution, FibRefine 3.0 and the organic FibRefine2.5, without triggering a GI response. FibRefine 3.0 features a blend of chicory root inulin, soluble tapioca fiber and a polydextrose mixture, while 3.5 contains organic soluble tapioca fiber, organic agave inulin and organic gum acacia. While supplier MGP Ingredients touts its Fibersym dietary fiber, a modified wheat starch, that boosts dietary fiber by 90%, according to the company.
While synthesized fibers like the ones mentioned above have their place in food and beverage formulations, whether it’s to improve the GI experience or functionality like bulking, texture and moisture retention, innovations in natural fibers show promise from a technical and health perspective.
Goodvice and one.bio explore ‘clinical indulgence’ with fiber-forward shakes
Emerging functional beverage brand Goodvice is tapping into what its President Sarah Wallace calls “clinical indulgence,” which features an oat fiber developed by biotechnology company one.bio.
Goodvice’s flagship powdered shake underwent a two-week clinical trial to determine three key pain points when it comes to formulating with natural oat fibers: intolerability, efficacy and consumability, according to Wallace.
“We are really looking at this, what we’re calling kind of a category of clinical indulgence. And those two things have not really come together in a way that has made sense for consumers or has been really credible for consumers,” Wallace said.
Goodvice’s powdered shakes contain 10 grams of prebiotic oat fiber, 15 grams of milk protein, in addition to creatine, magnesium and cane sugar. The shakes, which are available on Goodvice’s website, come in three flavors – Best Ever Chocolate, Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Sweet Cream Coffee.
Participants in the study consumed five, 10 and 20 grams of oat fiber per day from the shake with no increase in gastrointestinal symptoms at any dose, according to Wallace.
Further, many participants experienced reduced GI symptoms, in addition to mood enhancement, according to one.bio’s Co-founder and CSO, Matt Amicucci.
The study also found participants experienced a reduced post-meal glucose spike when consuming high-sugar meals, where less than 5% of their day was spent in unhealthy glucose ranges, underscoring the oat fiber’s ability to improve blood glucose control, similar to GLP-1 pathways, he added.
While 10-grams of prebiotic oat fiber is clinically validated for metabolic support and supply-friendly, its ability to “disappear” in a formulation because it is flavorless, colorless and soluble, makes it feasible for higher dosing, according to Amicucci.
How does oat fiber contribute to ‘clinical indulgence?’
One.bio’s oat fiber is developed using a process that preserves its natural state while benefitting the technical aspects of formulation. The process includes reducing the chain length of the oat fiber to eliminate problems with viscosity, grittiness and off-flavors, according to Amicucci.
One.bio’s ingredient database, known as Glycopedia, maps the molecular structure and functional impact of over 4,000 natural fibers. Its oat fiber targets glucose control, metabolic stability, gut health and mood enhancement, he explained.
While synthesized fibers like inulin from chicory root, soluble corn fiber and wheat dextrin are popular across applications, they often solve the sensory problems of natural fibers, but at the expense of efficacy, Amicucci said.
The future of fiber is whole body-metabolic health from an array of sources
Both Goodvice and one.bio view fiber as a diverse category rather than a single nutrient.
“Right now, we’re calling dietary fiber as if it’s a single thing,” Amicucci said.
Rather, fiber should be considered as “fibers, each one with a unique molecular structure, each on that has its own unique metabolism and its own unique impacts on health,” he added.
This shift from “fiber” to “fibers” also means expanding the messaging from “regularity on to gut health, metabolic health, cardiovascular benefits and mental benefits,” he said.
Glycopedia’s vast library of natural fibers from other plants like spent orange pulp or coffee, coupled with one.bio’s expertise in molecular preservation, may help future innovations “restore fiber into foods they belong in” and “make it really easy and enjoyable to consume,” Wallace explained.
“Some fibers can strengthen the gut barrier, some reduce inflammatory signaling, some influence glucose regulation and satiety,” Amicucci elaborated.
The future of fiber, Amicucci argued, lies in understanding fiber as a molecularly diverse suite of carbohydrates that harbor distinct structures, microbial interactions and health effects.
