BeneoBeat - Digestible news for food professionals

Prebiotics seem to be a relatively modern phenomenon. However, they were abundantly present in our ancestors’ diets. According to Jeff Leach, director and founder of the Paleobiotics Laboratory in New Orleans (US), prebiotics were an important part of the human diet as early as 40,000 years ago, and probably even 2.5 million years ago. This high fibre diet would have had an impact on the colonic microflora, favouring beneficial species and consequently health. More.

The prebiotic Orafti®Synergy1 improves health and well-being in humans. New findings demonstrate its beneficial impact in the ageing process, resulting in an improved quality of life and life prolongation. More.

From 1st July 2007, the Health Claims Regulation will enforce harmonised rules for the use of nutrition and health claims on food and drinks. In recent years, as consumers have become increasingly health conscious, the food industry has responded with innovation and by providing more detailed nutritional labelling and often making claims about the beneficial effects of certain foods. But without EU rules on labelling consumers, at times have been misled by claims that have not been substantiated. More.

Inulin and oligofructose have moved into the mainstream of functional ingredients and now consumer education must intensify. This was the message of the opening presentations at the 5th ORAFTI Research Conference at the Harvard Medical School, Boston. More.

With the worldwide obesity crisis reaching an all time high, pressure is on the food industry to react accordingly. A recent human study into satiety and Beneo™ oligofructose looks for ways to combat this. More.