Prebiotics for different life stages

THERE is now mounting scientific evidence that the lack of dietary fibre in modern diets, which are at the same time rich in fats and refined carbohydrates, could cause health problems like obesity and cardiovascular disease. Since more and more consumers now recognise what nutritional scientists have known for years - that supporting a beneficial colonic microflora is vital to maintain a healthy digestive balance, and that the ideal way to do so is through the support of prebiotic fibres like inulin and oligofructose - they are increasingly looking for tasty foods that offer additional proven health benefits from prebiotics. So this is definitely an interesting area for food manufacturers, to say the least. The prebiotics inulin and oligofructose are amongst the most researched dietary fibres - these studies acknowledge the value of these functional ingredients for health improvement. For manufacturers, they provide a unique combination of technological, nutritional and health benefits. They can improve the taste and texture of a product whilst providing additional health benefits to consumers. From infancy to old age Rigorous scientific research has shown time and again that supplementation with inulin and oligofructose can impart a wide variety of total body benefits that span a lifetime. Supplementing infant formula with prebiotic fibres has been shown to boost levels of healthy bifidobacteria in the colon, improving bowel function and resistance to infections, whilst reducing the occurrence of all-too-common symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and fevers. In adolescents, Orafti Synergy1 oligofructose-enriched inulin in particular has been shown to produce positive effects on bone health including enhanced calcium absorption and increased bone mineral density. In adults, inulin and oligofructose have been shown to improve bowel health and act as a barrier against harmful compounds and micro-organisms in the GI tract. Oligofructose-enriched inulin has been shown to boost mineral absorption for better bone health in, for example, women after menopause.

The 'feel good factor' works from infancy to the 'golden' age

Overall, inulin and oligofructose have been shown to help maintain proper digestive system function and balance by increasing the presence and vitality of beneficial bifidobacteria. Studies in older people have indicated that inulin and oligofructose supplementation can increase intestinal levels of bifidobacteria, helping to reverse signs of digestive aging and improving intestinal function whilst supporting wellness. Technological characteristics Inulin can stabilise water into a creamy structure with the same mouthfeel as fat to enable product developers to replace part of the fat content with the inulin and reduce the caloric value of products, but without compromising the taste. This delivers roundness and creaminess combined with an excellent flavour release. It also improves the stability of mousses and foams. In most cases, the fat-replacing properties of inulin can be obtained without major changes in the production process. Oligofructose, a natural sugar replacer that has a moderately sweet taste - 30% of the sweetness potential of sucrose without any lingering aftertaste - is often combined with high intensity sweeteners to give a more balanced sweetness profile to 'no added sugar' products. The synergistic effect created also reduces the artificial aftertaste of the high intensity sweeteners, resulting in a more natural, sugar-like sweetness profile. Alternatively, combinations of oligofructose with nutritive sweeteners as fructose and saccharose are successfully applied in naturally sugar-reduced food products. In very acid conditions, significant exposure times and temperatures, however, oligofructose and inulin may hydrolyse into fructose. This makes the useMercurial Superfly low