Latest prebiotic could surpass inulin

A prebiotic fibre derived from wheat bran has significant advantages over market leader inulin, according to the firm in which Tate & Lyle’s venture capital fund has taken a £3.5M stake.

Fugeia, which is a spin-off company from Belgian university KU Leuven, has developed a proprietary, patent-protected arabinoxylan oligosaccharide ingredient from wheat bran fibre.

Unlike inulin, it is stable at low pH and metabolised mainly in the distal colon, part of the gut that is vulnerable to disease and not addressed by other prebiotic fibres. That’s according to Fugeia founder and chief executive Willem Broekaert. “We are building strong scientific evidence to support health claims about both its prebiotic and antioxidant properties. But it also has technical advantages over inulin as it is acid stable at below pH 4, making it suitable for a far wider range of products including fruits juices.” Wheat bran was also easier to explain to consumers than inulin, he claimed.

Prebiotics stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, boosting digestive health. However, they are also claimed to improve mineral absorption, assist in appetite regulation, strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

As existing wheat processing plants were not geared up to produce the fibre, new, dedicated production facilities would be required, he said. “We are in talks with a number of companies that could make this for us, and we are probably about two years away from being able to take something to the market in commercial quantities.”

Fugeia has secured six patents covering the fibre’s production process and applications. However, its regulatory status was unclear, admitted Broekaert. “It is not clear at this stage whether we will have to go through the Novel Food Regulation. In a sense, it is already part of our diet, so it’s up for debate.”

Two additional projects were in the pipeline concerning ingredients with proven benefits in the areas of gut health, metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes, he said. “We are not a single product company.”

Tate & Lyle Ventures partner David Atkinson added: “Fugeia already has one promising ingredient in the pipeline. With strong clinical data to support its prebiotic effect and robust intellectual property, it is hoped that this product will prove to be a step-changing ingredient in the development of fibre-enhanced foods.”

Tate & Lyle Ventures is a £25M venture capital fund. It is focused on investing in high growth companies in the fields of renewable ingredients, food technologies, renewable resources such as biomaterials and biofuels and industrial processing technologies.