Food supplement of fructo-oligosaccharides: prebiotic fibers

Fructo-Oligosaccharides is a sugar beet-sourced dietary fibre supplement produced by a French company using a bioconversion process. It offers confirmed prebiotic effects at doses starting at 5g-10g a day, that’s just 1-2 teaspoons of the supplement.

What are fructo-oligosaccharides?

Fructo-oligosaccharides are plant-source carbohydrate polymers and a source of dietary fibre.

They are compounds which are neither digested nor absorbed in the small intestine and which have at least one of the following effects:

• Increased stool production (without diarrhoea).
• Stimulation of colonic fermentation. Fermentation of fibre helps modify the gut flora and produce a large amount of short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate which is thought to play a role in healthy colonic mucosa function.
• Reduced fasting cholesterolaemia.
• Reduced blood sugar and/or post-prandial insulinaemia .

Many epidemiological and clinical studies have demonstrated the health benefits obtained by significantly increasing consumption of dietary fibre, benefits related primarily to its effects on microbiota balance as well as to the bacterial fermentation it encourages, during which short-chain fatty acids are produced in the gut.

What are the benefits provided by fructo-oligosaccharides?

Fructo-oligosaccharides are not only a source of dietary fibre; they are also prebiotic compounds. A prebiotic is defined as a “non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon” (1), and as such, supports digestive health (2). All prebiotics are considered dietary fibre but not all sources of dietary fibre are prebiotics.

In addition to these prebiotic effects, the supplement Fructo-Oligosaccharides helps provide other benefits:

• increasing the feeling of satiety;
• helping to maintain good cholesterol levels;
• normalising IBS symptoms;
• regulating inflammation markers.

How is the supplement Fructo-Oligosaccharides made?

Fructo-Oligosaccharides is produced by Tereos from sugar beet using a bioconversion process inspired by nature and guaranteed to be GMO-free. As in natural fermentation, the sugar is converted into fibre, by an enzyme produced by a carefully-selected microscopic fungus, Aspergillus niger.

Tereos are pioneers of oligofructose in Europe. Their know-how has enabled them to develop a high-quality product, the prebiotic effect of which has been recognised by the French authorities since 1996.