Consumer awareness regarding digestive health has skyrocketed in recent years and shows no signs of abating. As interest rises, consumers are starting to seek a broad range of key ingredients that aid their gastrointestinal health, each providing their own purpose as well as challenges — some of which are more easily resolved than others.
Probiotics, micro-organisms that supplement the gut’s natural bacteria and enhance both digestion and the absorption of nutrients, are currently leading the digestive health market in sales. According to Transparency Market Research’s “Probiotics Market (Dietary Supplements, Animal Feed, Foods and Beverages) 2012–2018”, global probiotics demand was worth US$27.9bn in 2011 and is expected to reach $44.9bn in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2013–2018.
However, it is often difficult to take advantage of this growing segment because probiotics require certain levels of heat and moisture to survive; maintaining that digestive ecosphere engine requires sophistication in both the delivery vehicle and the formulation, as well as significant capital investment. I would suggest that those finished product manufacturers who do not specialise in probiotics consider other more convenient ingredients with digestive health benefits.
An ingredient that consumers are already familiar with and keen to get their hands on is dietary fibre, which maintains basic gastrointestinal health by acting as a bulker (soluble fibre), laxative (insoluble fibre) and/or probiotic stimulator (prebiotics). As far as challenges go, insoluble fibres pose the most problems during manufacturing and formulating. They are usually difficult to work with and can have undesirable effects on the finished product’s mouthfeel.
To minimise the grittiness and preserve the mouthfeel of the finished product, a higher mesh size is required. Unlike the solution for probiotics, this can be handled somewhat easily by the supplier, so partner with an experienced supplier that has extensive fibre knowledge and an established manufacturing process that meets your product’s needs. For instance, BI’s carrot fibre and psyllium fibre (Psyberloid) are available in several different mesh sizes, such as 20M for nutrition bars, 100M for beverages, etc.
Other ingredients that aid in digestion are botanicals and they do so in a variety of ways: aloe vera soothes the colon and provides nutrients that remove toxins and food build-up; licorice root contains glycyrrhiza, which helps in the digestion of food; and peppermint calms the stomach muscles and improves the flow of bile. Each botanical has its own challenges but, fortunately, the best solution to tackle any of these issues is the same as the solution for fibres: partner with a knowledgeable, reputable supplier.
BI carries more than 50 botanicals targeted for digestive health, each with its own established sterilisation and production process to provide the maximum kill and minimum deterioration of the desired active compounds.
Fibres and botanicals are vital to maintain a healthy digestive system. For finished product manufacturers to ensure that their customers are provided with quality digestive health products, they must consider each of the challenges and solutions mentioned. The first and easiest step always starts with partnering with a quality, professionally managed supplier.