The good taste for health: SOLACTIS, a well-studied prebiotic that efficiently regulates transit even at low dosages Dr Sandra Einerhand and Dr Nathalie Sommier, Tate & Lyle, Pascal Ronfard, Solvay
SOLACTIS® is principally made of galactofructose, obtained by isomerisation of a milkderived disaccharide lactose. It is uniquely recognised as a prebiotic and a transit regulator at same low dosage. SOLACTIS ® is now offered in the European food market by Solvay and Tate & Lyle. Although SOLACTIS® is new to the food industry in Europe, its source, galactofructose (also known as lactulose), is one of the best studied health ingredients. Indeed, it was first introduced in infant food in 1957 when the growth of the bifidobacteria in infants by adding galactofructose to their diet was demonstrated22. Two years later it was shown to be effective to regulate transit disorders through its osmotic effect in drawing water into the stool, thereby increasing and softening stool mass19. November 2009 – Wellness Foods Europe | 44
Since then, the beneficial effects of galactofructose in the human large intestine have been studied and extensively reviewed10,11,13,18,21,26. As a consequence galactofructose has had a long history of use both in the pharmaceutical industry and in a more limited scope, in food. While it can regulate severe slow transit, even in constipated people if the dosage is high, it has also emerged as a low dosage transit facilitator and prebiotic ingredient in Europe as a result of its comprehensive scientific pedigree. Meanwhile in Asia (specifically Japan), it has already been used in food applications for many years.
Digestive health > Galactofructose is obtained from the milk sugar lactose by isomerisation of glucose to fructose, and consists of galactose linked by ß-1,4-linkage to fructose. It is not defined as a fibre because of its low degree of polymerization (DP2). However, it holds many of the health benefits attached to fibres as the ß- 1,4-linkage between galactose and fructose cannot be degraded by animal or human digestive enzymes. As a result it remains undigested until it reaches the large intestine 25. In the colon, galactofructose is the energy source for beneficial saccharolytical bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli which can metabolise it to produce short-chain fatty acids 1-6,24,28,30. Galactofructose is well known as a prebiotic, but when given to patients with constipation, it also increases faecal output at doses greater than 20 g/day24. At lower doses, it acts as a prebiotic within the colonic microflora, increasing numbers of bifidobacteria and improving transit time in healthy volunteers3. A number of human intervention studies have confirmed the prebiotic nature of galactofructose in healthy consumers. For ins tance, in a 14 day intervention study it stimu lated bifidobacterial growth at a dose of 3 g/day. Conversely, the numbers of nonbeneficial bacteria Clostridium perfringens, Streptococcus spp, Bacteroides spp, and the Enterobacteriaceae decreased significantly. Interestingly, a number of potentially toxic microbial metabolites also decreased substantially upon galactofructose ingestion, as did the activity of microflora-associated enzymes involved in the production of carcinogens. Similar results were identified when volunteers were fed with a yogurt with galacto fructose at a dose as low as 0.65 g/day for three to six weeks29, as numbers of Bifidobacteria again increased after ingestion.
The prebiotic nature of galactofructose at sub-clinical doses (10 g/day) has recently been confirmed using both traditional microbiological and molecular techniques 30. Numbers of Bifidobacteria increased significantly after galactofructose intake, whilst the nonbeneficial Clostridium perfringens/histolyticum decreased concurrently. This prebiotic effect initiates a number of gastrointestinal and systemic health benefits that may be associated to a strengthened immune system, improved intestinal barrier function and reduced susceptibility to illness7,9,14,23,24. In addition, total biomass, stool volume and osmotic pressure are increased while pH is decreased, resulting in accelerated bowel movements and shorter transit time 3,16,20,24. SOLACTIS®: diversified health benefits > The health effects of galactofructose are not limited to gut health as it can also be used to stimulate calcium and magnesium absorption 27,31. Clinical trials conducted in 24 healthy adult
volunteers have shown that when ingesting food containing 4 g of galactofructose, 300 mg calcium and 150 mg magnesium the absorption of calcium and magnesium is enhanced27. Increased calcium absorption has also been observed in studies conducted with postmenopausal women, where galactofructose consumption revealed higher levels of calcium in a dose-response way31. These results reinforce those of various animal studies which show enhanced mineral absorption and improved bone strength7,8,15. A recent study has also revealed the beneficial effect of galactofructose on insulin resistance through stimulation of colonic fermentation which reduced lipotoxicity12. Finally, scientific results support the idea that modulating gut microbiota could be bene ficial for managing weight issues and obesity17. Prebiotics and galactofructose in particular seem efficient at modifying gut microflora and potentially achieving these effects. In this context, combining galacto fructose with the low caloric fibre STA-LITE® Polydextrose is very attractive, allowing food
manufacturers to decrease the energy density and/or the glycemic loads of foods while making nutritional fibres claims such as ‘source of fibre’ or ‘high in fibre’. Towards health claims of SOLACTIS® > The market development of prebiotics as functional ingredients in Europe is constricted by the need for their successful registration under the Nutrition and Health Claims Legislation (EC1924/2006), expected to be finalised in the summer of 2011. In the meantime, the strong body of science behind its functional properties, its wide range of health benefits and the growing number of potential product applications, all underpin galactofructose’s market growth potential. The claim “Galactofructose is a prebiotic, which helps the development of the intestinal flora and contributes to a better transit at 2.5 g/d” has been validated by Belgian Authorities. In September 2009, The Italian Ministry of health has confirmed its acceptance of the claims. In a European context the claims “prebiotic” and “transit regulation” are currently being assessed by the European Food Safety Authority, as all other similar claims. From a regulatory point of view, galactofructose is recognised as a standard nutritional food ingredient and thus is not a ‘novel food’. Therefore, it will enable food processing industries to develop new products combining tasty recipes with two interesting intestinal health claims: ‘prebiotic and regulated transit time’ – in the first instance this would be relevant only in European territories where the Belgian and Italian claims may apply. However, it would be apply to the whole of Europe after the claims are approved by EU Authorities. SOLACTIS®: Properties & Food Application > Galactofructose is commercially available either in liquid form as a yellowish,
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odourless clear syrup, or in solid form as an amorphous white powder, which is highly soluble in water. It has no taste but exhibits a sweetness which is equivalent to 0.6–0.8 (the sweetness of sucrose) and is very stable at both high temperature and low pH conditions. Compared to most other prebiotics, a smaller dose is required (2.5 g/day) to reach the official Recommended Daily Dose for both the prebiotic and the transit regulation effects, implying that it is cost effective in food recipes. A series of tests also have been performed on yoghurts, drink yoghurts, multi-juice drinks and bakery products including cereal bars, breakfast cereals and biscuits, to study the behaviour of galactofructose during processing and its effect on sensory properties. In every application it was shown to process well due to the solubility of the powder and the well-balanced viscosity of the syrup. The presence of galactofructose has no major effect on sensory properties, color and texture, so manufacturers can also consider incorporating it in other applications such as beverages, fruit preparations or in preparations for infants. Summary > The bifidogenic properties of galactofructose (SOLACTIS ® ) have been known for more than 50 years and numerous studies have confirmed that it has multiple health benefits as a food ingredient, including selective stimulation of intestinal flora, transit regu lation and improvement of mineral absorption. Moreover, the outstanding performance of SOLACTIS® offers significant added value for new yoghurts, biscuits, beverages and similar products. With the growing interest in functional foods, and especially in the digestive health area, the quest for reliable health ingredients has increased considerably during recent years. SOLACTIS® offers excellent and scientifically proven health benefits that go beyond its prebiotic potential, offering a wide
new functional foods. Moreover, the product range of applications for the deve lopment of is easy to formulate and has a pleasant sweet taste. Tate & Lyle will sell Solvay’s SOLACTIS® Galactofructose in bakery and cereals. Tate & Lyle’s Innovation centre in France will play a leading role in making Galactofructose more accessible to consumers in most of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, buil ding upon the product’s pedigree to develop a variety of functional foods that are better for people, and leveraging synergies with its current ingredient portfolio.
For more information or references contact: Dr Sandra Einerhand – Director Health & Nutrition Dr Nathalie Sommier – New Technology Scientist TATE & LYLE Innovation centre Phone: +33 3 28 777 000 E-Mail:
[email protected] Pascal Ronfard – Program Manager SOLVAY S.A. Phone: + 33 1 40 75 81 22 E-Mail:
[email protected]
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