Bridging the fibre gap, with Tate and Lyle
At Tastes of Better Ascot, VIP attendees were invited to experience a range of innovations across multiple categories in food formulation.
Taking the form of a live talk show, Tate and Lyle put on a technical demonstration explaining how their fortification solution, PROMITOR® soluble fibre, can help bridge the fibre gap plaguing the Western world.
On the sofa with Stefan Gates was an expert roster of Tate and Lyle’s development team, sharing technical insights on their product portfolio whilst a live audience tasted samples. Other topics covered included the importance of prebiotics and synbiotics and the science of the gut-brain axis.
Listen to the full session on the Food Matters Live podcast now or browse a summary of the key points below:
The challenge: 90% of us aren’t consuming enough fibre
There is a global dietary problem that needs addressing, and it is called ‘the fibre gap’. Put simply, it is the difference between how much fibre we should be consuming (roughly 30 grams per day) and how much we are actually consuming (on average, 18 grams per day).
That means the average person has a daily fibre deficit of 12 grams, and it affects far more than just our bowel movements. Let me explain.
Fibre comes in many different forms, all with unique health benefits. These can be broadly broken down into soluble, insoluble, and prebiotic fibres.
“The average person has a daily fibre deficit of 12 grams, and it affects far more than just our bowel movements.”
Prebiotic fibres are especially important, functioning like fertiliser for your beneficial gut flora. After passing undigested to the large intestine, gut bacteria ferment these fibres and produce beneficial compounds like butyrate, an anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acid. Soluble and insoluble fibres, on the other hand, help the body to clear waste products and pass stool more easily.
Insufficient amounts of all three fibres have been shown to increase a person’s risk for health conditions as wide-ranging as diverticulitis, heart disease, bowel cancer and type-2 diabetes. It’s no coincidence that these conditions are on the rise in the industrialised world where a low-fibre diet is the norm.
Suffice it to say that bridging the widespread fibre gap in our diets could have a significant impact on public health. But as anyone in the food industry knows, changing consumer dietary behaviour can be extremely challenging.
The solution: Introducing PROMITOR®, Tate and Lyle’s soluble fibre technology
Decades of messaging encouraging people to eat more fruit, vegetables and whole grains have largely fallen on deaf ears, but could fortification succeed where previous strategies have failed?
Tate and Lyle certainly think so, and at Tastes of Better Ascot, they unveiled their latest fibre fortification solution – PROMITOR®.
When added to yoghurt drinks, this soluble fibre technology can deliver up to 10 grams of fibre in a 90ml product, helping to achieve low Nutri-scores without compromising taste or mouthfeel.
“Decades of messaging encouraging people to eat more fruit, vegetables and whole grains have largely fallen on deaf ears, but could fortification succeed where previous strategies have failed?”
Already, it’s been adopted by giants such as Mcvities, who reformulated a non-HFFS version of the beloved digestive biscuit boasting 50% more fibre and 30% less sugar.
With a neutral colour and taste profile, they claim it’s the perfect way to bridge the fibre gap and deliver health by stealth to a nation starved of fibre. And as they explored in their live show, it has diverse applications across numerous categories.
Join us at the next Tastes of Better event to experience food innovations like PROMITOR® first-hand and taste what words can’t capture.
