Mom always said whole wheat bread was better than white bread. Though her advice was usually met with a groan, the current consumer quest for dietary fiber has surged beyond good old whole wheat bread into foods and beverages that outwardly don’t appear to fit the traditional fiber product operandi—products like toaster pastries, granola bars, chips, yogurt, drink mixes and yes, breads.

Consumers are increasingly turning to fiber because of its impact on satiety (the feeling of fullness). Consuming foods high in fiber can help reduce snacking and thereby help control body weight. According to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics, the percentage of new food products touting high fiber contents is up in markets like the U.S. Food makers are pumping up the fiber contents of their packaged foods in an attempt to appeal to health conscious shoppers and help combat obesity.

In the U.S., the percentage of new food products claiming to be high in fiber hit 6% in 2008, up from 5% in 2006, with companies such as PepsiCo (Quaker Fiber & Omega 3 Chewy Oat Granola Bars), Kraft (South Beach Living Fiber Fit Cookies and Fiber Fit Granola Bar, and Crystal Light On The Go Hunger Satisfaction Drink Mix), Campbell’s Soup (Pepperidge Farm Light Style Wheat Bread), Kellogg (Pop-Tarts and Fiber Plus Antioxidants Chewy Bars) and Dannon (Activia Lowfat Yogurt With Fiber) all angling to up the fiber ante in their food and beverage products.

The interest in dietary fiber is clearly driven by interest in health benefits, not just relating to satiety but also blood sugar management. “All dietary fiber delivers fewer calories than other types of carbohydrates. It is a very useful ingredient in reduced-calorie foods,” commented Rhonda Witwer, senior business development manager, Nutrition, at National Starch Food Innovation (NSFI), Bridgewater, NJ. “All dietary fiber has a low impact on blood sugar. Thus, it was a very useful ingredient in reduced carbohydrate foods, which focused on ‘net’ or the quantity of glycemic carbohydrates.”

Ms. Witwer pointed to recent consumer research from HealthFocus International’s “2009 TrendScan,” which she said confirmed that consumers are differentiating between different types of carbohydrates. “More consumers are stating that they always or usually maintain a ‘high fiber diet’ than a ‘low fat diet’ or a ‘low calorie diet’ (47% versus 38% and 28%, respectively),” she said. “Consumers are also reporting that they are increasing their consumption of whole grains and dietary fiber, while they are decreasing their consumption of refined carbohydrates, bread and carbohydrates in general.”

She added that consumers are more interested in foods that deliver specific benefits than they are in fiber-fortified foods. “They focus on the benefits, not the nutritional content,” she said. “Because not all fiber-containing foods deliver the same benefits, the selection of the specific fiber to be included in the food must be carefully considered.”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest prominently featured some of these disconnects between label statements or implied benefits and the scientific evidence in its July/August 2008 Nutrition Action newsletter. Noting that technical and research communities already understand that not all fibers are the same; Ms. Witwer predicts that ongoing fiber scrutiny will only become stronger in the future. “The next trend for consumers will be more clear understanding of the differences between different types of dietary fiber,” she said. “Some fibers deliver bulking benefits, other fibers deliver cholesterol lowering benefits, while clinical evidence is mounting that Hi-maize resistant starch delivers metabolism benefits.”

Emerging Fiber Developments

Over time, the industry has come to understand that different types of fiber impact the body differently and have the capacity to impart unique health benefits. While “bulking” and “viscosity” are the two front-running mechanisms for dietary fibers, Ms. Witwer noted that during the last five years, fermentation within the large intestine has emerged as the third important mechanism for certain dietary fibers—a mechanism that NSFI’s Hi-maize resistant starch fulfills. “Natural Hi-maize resistant starch is an insoluble dietary fiber that is slowly fermented in the large intestine,” she said. “This critical mechanism is responsible for important metabolism benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity, increased fat burning and increased appetite control.”

“Within the last year, a Swedish clinical study found that when natural resistant starch (from barley kernels and/or Hi-maize resistant starch) was consumed for dinner, people had a better glycemic response to a standardized breakfast, had improved inflammation biomarkers and felt less hungry the next morning (Nilsson, The Journal of Nutrition, 2008),” Ms. Witwer continued. She went on to add that a recent British clinical study found that when Hi-maize resistant starch was eaten for breakfast and lunch, individuals consumed 10% fewer calories over the course of the day. Though they did not report feeling more satiated, they ate less fat in the 24 hours of the study (Bodinham, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2008).

Further, an American clinical study found that Hi-maize and Novelose resistant starches were the most effective dietary fibers at increasing satiety three hours following consumption of muffins containing similar calories and fiber content (Willis, Nutrition Research, 2009). “These studies clearly show blood sugar and weight benefits resulting from dietary consumption of natural resistant starch,” Ms. Witwer concluded. “In short, the dietary fiber industry is segmenting into categories based upon health benefits that are substantiated by physiological evidence. Some fibers promote digestive health and regularity, while other fibers promote heart health. Natural Hi-maize resistant starch has been shown to improve metabolism.”

From a food manufacturing point of view, the key interest lies in finding fibers that don’t adversely impact taste or texture. A recent study published in Food Chemistry found that the addition of dietary fiber to ice cream mixes can not only enhance the nutritional profile, but also may control crystallization and re-crystallization in frozen dairy products. Researchers from the National Technical University of Athens, the group that conducted the study, also concluded that dietary fiber offers unique new formulation possibilities for frozen dairy product manufacturers.

One dietary fiber that fits that bill is LuraLean from Atlanta, GA-based AHD International. Specifically for use in ice creams, LuraLean is an extremely fine mesh powder that delivers high fiber content, but with a smooth mouthfeel that does not compromise taste or texture. It also maintains its efficacy when flash frozen. “This grade of LuraLean allows frozen dairy product manufacturers the ability to create interesting new niche products, increase the health benefits of current offerings, as well as potentially eliminate some formulation issues surrounding product viscosity,” noted John Alkire, president.

LuraLean has been subjected to 14 safety studies and 60 clinical trials, which confirmed it has no adverse side effects at the recommended amount and is effective in promoting weight loss, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels already within the normal range, and supporting regularity.

Dow Chemical, Midland, MI, also markets a line of fiber suitable for a variety of applications. Soluble, cellulose-derived Fortefiber is also backed by extensive clinical studies that confirm it helps maintain normal cholesterol, blood glucose and insulin levels. It’s available in a variety of grades and can be custom-designed to address any specific texture needs or formulations, ranging from liquids to hard snacks including energy bars, cookies, biscuits, candy and supplements in chewable or tablet form.

What Lies Ahead

Looking forward, regulatory changes will most likely present sizable challenges to the fiber industry. Novartis Consumer Health, Parsippany, NJ, found that out first hand, when the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus scrutinized the claims it made by pitting its Benefiber brand fiber supplement against Metamucil, made by Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH.

In a nutshell, the claims, which were on the Internet, the product’s packaging and in print advertising, essentially said that a smaller dose of Benefiber contained more fiber than Metamucil capsules.

NAD pointed out the undisputed fact that Benefiber and Metamucil contain different types of fiber and offer different health benefits—Benefiber is a dietary fiber supplement made from the soluble fiber wheat dextrin that provides digestive health benefits, while Metamucil is both a dietary fiber supplement as well as a laxative made from psyllium, which provides digestive and coronary health benefits and relieves constipation.

The central question proved to be whether the advertiser’s claims for its fiber caplets, as they appear in the context of the challenged advertisements, trigger an obligation to disclose the health benefit differences. In the context in which the claims appear—where there is no reference to heart health—NAD determined that the claims do not convey the implied message that Benefiber is equivalent to Metamucil with respect to heart-health benefits. It also determined that the company had provided “adequate substantiation for advertising claims” made for its Benefiber brand dietary fiber supplement.

In addition to ongoing claim scrutiny, fiber terminology will also continue to be an issue. “In 2002, the Institute of Medicine recommended labeling for dietary fiber should change from ‘insoluble’ and ‘soluble’ to ‘dietary fiber’ (fiber naturally present in foods), ‘functional fiber’ (fiber with proven health benefits which are added to foods), and ‘total dietary fiber’ (the sum of dietary fiber and functional fiber),” Ms. Witwer explained. “Within the next few years, new regulations on dietary fiber are likely, but no one knows at this point in time what they will contain. But we believe that the trend toward requiring substantiation for stated or implied health messages and that the segmentation of the dietary fiber category will become stronger.”