RE: Sugar Awareness Week9 Nov 2024 18:56
For those who prefer not to click links
Naturally Sweet Prebiotic Fibres from OptiBiotix Could Dramatically Cut Food’s Sugar Content
April 11, 2017
Optibiotix, one of the world leader’s in the development of human microbiome modulators, is developing a range of naturally sweet prebiotic fibres which are not digested in the human gut. The prebiotics are long-fibre sugars which tastes sweet, but are not broken down or absorbed by the body. Therefore, they contain no calories, and could be used as healthy sweeteners without adding to a food’s sugar content or contributing to obesity. Unlike artificial sweeteners, these prebiotics taste the same as sugar, which OptiBiotix has confirmed in human taste studies.
Public Health England has recently encouraged the food industry to cut sugar by 20% by 2020 by lowering sugar levels, reducing the number of calories per portion, or promoting lower sugar products. These new sugar guidelines are part of the government’s drive to reduce childhood obesity. Currently, children are consuming three times more sugar every day than recommended, and one in five children are obese when they start primary school.
Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented, “The news of Public Health England’s plans to reduce sugar in consumer products by 20%, and the previously announced sugar tax on soft drinks which comes into force next April, reflects the need to reduce sugar intake, particularly in children. OptiBiotix recognises the difficulties of changing consumer behaviour and is developing sweet healthy prebiotic fibres called SweetBiotix® which are not digested in the human gut, and hence calorie free. This is an innovative concept which has the potential to address public health concerns over the impact of sugar on obesity, with the prospect of replacing ‘unhealthy’ sugars in existing products with non-digestible, low calorie, SweetBiotix®. Our research so far has demonstrated our ability to synthesise SweetBiotix®, and has confirmed safety and sweetness in human taste studies. If we are able to sustain the rate of current progress we could be in a position to launch our first generation SweetBiotix®’s product later this year, or at the start of 2018.”
The prebiotic fibre, SweetBiotix®, has been developed by Optibiotix, in conjunction with academia, using its technology platform which generates prebiotic microbiome modulators which increase the growth, biological activity, and health benefit of individual genera or species in the human microbiome.
mol
Sign In
Follow the stocks
