“Chicory inulin is valued by food manufacturers, because it is essentially ‘invisible’ in many food and beverage applications due to its neutral flavor, excellent solubility and low viscosity,” says Wade Schmelzer, principal food scientist, Cargill Health & Nutrition, Minneapolis. “Inulin can also provide desirable texture and mouthfeel in higher-solids systems. This allows food and beverage manufac-turers to offer food products with the health benefits consumers want, and also deliver the taste experience that is desired. Consumers don’t have to give up taste for health.”
Schmelzer suggests that increasing awareness of the benefits of fiber and inulin for overall digestive health is opening the door to other segments, such as bakery, cereal products, soups and prepared meals. And, while sensitive to pH levels below 4.0, inulin can per-form well in low-pH products, such as shorter-shelf-life beverages or products with refrigerated distribution.
In addition to prebiotic benefits, specially developed, 95% pure scFOS products provide an array of functional improvements, such as outstanding solubility and dispersion, enhancement of flavors, improvement of stability and texture, moisture retention, and shelf-life extension, notes Trina O’Brien, marketing and public relations manager, GTC Nutrition, Golden, CO. “It poses few challenges when incorporated into beverage and food matrices. High solubility allows for easy dispersion without compromising the quality of the prod-uct,” she says. “It does not create viscosity and is stable in processing.”
Further, O’Brien notes, “approximately 3 grams of scFOS per day is required for improved calcium absorption and 1 gram per day for digestive health benefits.”
Larch trees are a rich source of a unique class of polysaccharides called arabinogalactans. Highly branched galactan backbones with galactose and arabinose side chains, arabinogalactans are an excellent source of dietary fiber, as well as potent prebiotics—increasing production of propionate and butyrate, and reducing generation and absorption of ammonia. Studies have also indicated that larch arabi-nogalactan (LAG) may be a powerful adjunct in cancer treatment programs and may enhance immune-system function.
LAG, which is water-soluble, has functional effects that include moisture retention, enhanced mouthfeel and bulk, and improved shelf stability. LAG is stable across a wide pH range, and has little impact on finished-product viscosity and mouthfeel. Solubility and stability make LAG well suited for beverage applications. Moisture retention has been shown to improve dough handling.
Michelle Schwenk, senior food scientist, Tate & Lyle, Decatur, IL, explains that, in addition to selectively stimulating the growth of bifidobacteria, soluble corn fiber exhibits similar physical characteristics as corn syrup, with virtually no sweetness. “It is highly soluble and can be used as a liquid or dry product,” she says. “It is pH-stable, so there is not a limit in applications from that perspective. It is clear and colorless and can be used in water and other beverages.” Agglomerated forms of soluble corn fiber are ideal for stick packs and other beverage mixes.
Improvements to finished-product characteristics are also possible. “The body of yogurts can be improved, cling and mouthfeel in cottage cheese dressings can be increased, and baked goods and bars stay moist longer, increasing their shelf life,” Schwenk says. “Soluble corn fiber is also quite well tolerated, which gives it more flexibility in application and levels compared to other prebiotic fi-bers.”
Another prebiotic, galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS), “is a new and emerging functional ingredient with superior stability at low pH and high temperatures,” says O’Brien. Derived from lactose, GOS is highly soluble and offers efficacy at low inclusion levels. “Approxi-mately three grams per day is required to reinforce healthy immune system function,” she says.
R. J. Foster is a wordsmith with a B.S. in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and over 15 years of experience in the food industry. He can be reached through his website, wordsmithingbyfoster.com.