Formulating With Fiber

Lisa M. Sanders is a nutrition scientist at Tate & Lyle, Decatur, IL, with an expertise in the area of fiber and wellness carbohydrates. She obtained her Ph.D. in nutrition science from Texas A&M University, where she researched dietary fiber in the prevention of colon cancer. 

More and more food companies are starting to formulate products with fiber. This is important as most individuals only eat about half of the fiber they need in a day. However, as people add more fiber to their diet, some may begin to notice some undesirable gastrointestinal side effects. If the side effects are severe or cause discomfort, individuals will often avoid high-fiber or fiber-fortified foods. Manufacturers need a fiber that will offer the health benefits consumers demand, without the undesirable side effects they don’t want. Tate & Lyle’s line of PROMITOR™ Dietary Fiber is a perfect solution. PROMITOR™ Soluble Corn Fiber and PROMITOR™ Resistant Starch are both very well tolerated. We have tested the tolerance of these fibers in a number of experiments:

1. A range of doses from 5-15 grams.

2. Acute and chronic intake for 2 weeks.

3. In different food products such as beverages, bars and bakery products.

4. At different times of the day, such as in the morning on an empty stomach and near a meal time.

Subjects in all of these studies reported mild to no gastrointestinal side effects.

So what makes these fibers so well tolerated? Part of the answer may be in how the human large intestine ferments the fiber. Among the products of fermentation in the large intestine are gases, such as hydrogen and methane. When a fiber is rapidly fermented, these gases build up quickly and could cause discomfort. PROMITOR™ fibers are more slowly fermented, resulting in slower gas generation and less discomfort.

Tate & Lyle’s range of PROMITOR™ Dietary Fiber is a great solution when looking to fortify with fiber to give consumers the benefits they want without the side effects they don’t.