According to Taste & Lyle, most people are not getting enough fibre in their diets, despite being a critical ingredient to well-being.
“The use of soluble fibre extends far beyond sugar and calorie reduction to fibre fortification, which helps to support healthier lifestyles and provide nutritional benefits,” said Dr Mervyn de Souza, global head of R&D for Health & Wellness and Open Innovation at Tate & Lyle.
Dr Kavita Karnik, global head of Nutrition & Regulatory Affairs at Tate & Lyle, added inhouse proprietary research conducted among 8,800 consumers across 11 countries found that 52% of respondents want to increase their fibre intake.
“This gives food and drink manufacturers a prime opportunity to support consumers by fortifying their products with fibre,” she said.
Fortifying a product with soluble fibre is not a simple cut-and-dried process and involves a number of challenges. Selecting the appropriate fibre is key when it comes to the taste, texture, nutrition, processing and labelling of new and reformulated food products.
Tate & Lyle’s Fibre University is the first online, science-based fibre education programme of its kind, designed to help food scientists and formulators address these issues while maintaining coronavirus restrictions. It also provides a forum to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest science and trends relating to fibre.
The first module – entitled Fibre Fundamentals – takes place on Wednesday, 10 February 2021 at 11h00 CST.
The one-hour session will cover the basic principles of formulating with fibre, including the different types of fibre, their processing and manufacturing performance and how to solve specific formulation challenges, such as sugar and calorie reduction, with fibre.
With a curriculum designed by scientists for scientists, more Fibre University webinars will air in the future.
