Gut health has moved from a niche concern to a mainstream priority in recent years and it’s now one of the biggest forces shaping today’s functional food trends. As more consumers understand the link between better gut health and overall well-being, the door is wide open for food and drink brands to reach a wider audience and stand out on increasingly crowded shelves
To unpack the latest functional food trends, we sat down with Eline Verrijk, Marketing Manager Performance and Active Nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients. Here she shares her tips and tricks for tapping into functional food trends with prebiotic ingredients like galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and what brands can do to stay ahead of consumer expectations.
The convenience trend is having a huge impact. The more convenient, the better! Drinks like functional waters, kombucha, fortified juices and protein shakes are popular as they’re easy to consume on the go. They’re the ideal blank canvas for delivering a quick hit of nutrition, like pre- or probiotics.
And it’s not just drinks either. Everyday staples like granola and muffins fortified with fibres or prebiotics can give consumers a much-needed boost in between meetings or on the school run. We’re also seeing more interest in ready-made functional main meals that provide gut health benefits for time-pressed consumers. The major benefit is that these formats are easy to fit into everyday routines because they’re already part of consumers’ diets.
Growing demand for healthy indulgence is also influencing functional foods. Consumers are seeking better-for-you treats, meaning there’s exciting innovation happening around formats like yoghurts, desserts, snack bars and bites. The aim is to indulge with their favourite treats – but not at the expense of their well-being. It’s the ideal opportunity to experiment with functional foods with different flavour options and trending formats: the possibilities are endless!
Supplements have their place as they’re a great way for consumers to boost their nutrition with a precise dosage or a high concentration of nutrients. But incorporating functional benefits into food and drinks that people already enjoy is a win-win. We all like great-tasting food after all! Foods are often seen as the main way we can influence our health; research shows that 42% of global consumers choose food and drinks that aim to improve their general health and wellness.
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Consumers expect multiple health benefits at once from their functional foods and drinks, such as gut health and immunity, or digestion and energy. In particular, gut health benefits are a huge draw for shoppers, as they intuitively link food to their digestive health. It’s easy to notice when certain foods make you feel bloated or more energetic, for example. The link between the foods we eat and our gut health is really tangible – making it an ideal area for functional innovation.
It seems like everybody is talking about gut health now, especially on social media. Whether it’s influencers creating ‘healthy gut’ recipes with kefir smoothies or fibre-rich snacks, or users documenting improvements in digestion, mood or energy after eating prebiotic foods, #GutHealth is a hot topic. There’s lots of viral social media content that highlights the potential of fermented products like kimchi or kombucha in giving consumers a ‘gut health glow-up’. This increased openness and growing consumer awareness inevitably has a knock-on effect on functional food trends, opening the door for other ingredients like prebiotics in formulations. Now that more people know what to look for in gut-boosting functional foods, it makes consumer acceptance much easier.
Probiotics are already widely used across functional foods but exploring prebiotics like galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) is another way to boost gut health benefits even further. There’s a whole host of evidence that backs up the health benefits of GOS which makes them ideal for meeting the functional food trends. Research shows that GOS can positively influence the gut microbiota,
Krumbeck et al., 2018; Johnstone et al., 2021; Ladirat et al., 2014; Walton et al., 2012; Schoemaker et al., 2022.
helping to boost digestive health by improving gut comfort and reduce bloating and more.
Wilson B, Rossi M, Dimidi E, Whelan K. Prebiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel disorders in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2019;109(4):1098-1111. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy376
Teuri U, Korpela R. Galacto-oligosaccharides relieve constipation in elderly people. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1998;42(6):319-327. https://doi.org/10.1159/000012751 and Sairanen U, Piirainen L, Nevala R, Korpela R. Yoghurt containing galacto-oligosaccharides, prunes and linseed reduces the severity of mild constipation in elderly subjects. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;61(12):1423-1428. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602670
Their potential to support mental well-being is also very exciting, with studies showing that the gut speaks directly to the brain – potentially reducing anxiety levels and supporting overall mood.
Johnstone N, Milesi C, Burn O, van den Bogert B, Nauta A, Hart K, Sowden P, Burnet PW, Cohen Kadosh K. Anxiolytic effects of a galacto-oligosaccharides prebiotic in healthy females (18–25 years) with corresponding changes in gut bacterial composition. Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1):8302. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87865-w
vi Cohen Kadosh K, Basso M, Knytl P, Johnstone N, Lau JY, Gibson GR. Psychobiotic interventions for anxiety in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis, with youth consultation. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2021;8(9):831-844. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00143-2
There’s an opportunity to create novel functional foods that tap into growing consumer demand for holistic health.
GOS is versatile and can be incorporated into a variety of applications, which makes it ideal for meeting the latest functional food trends. Available either as a syrup or a powder, it’s a great option for formats such as snacks and bars. What’s more, GOS is stable with heat and acidity, which makes it suitable for applications like popular bar formats, and has a clean sensory profile. Using GOS in drinks like sodas and waters is easy too, thanks to its high solubility. Unlike other gut-supporting ingredients, GOS doesn’t cause cloudiness or gel formation, which is crucial for drinks with an appealing aesthetic and mouthfeel.
The syrup format is ideal for use in liquid formulations, like drinks, yoghurts and ready-to-drink formulas, while the powder version is more suited to dry blends, such as protein shakes, snacks and ready-to-mix plant-based drinks.
Formulators can boost everyday foods too, especially those that already have a reputation for being gut-friendly. Yoghurt is a great example of formulation innovation in the everyday food category. It’s already perceived as providing good gut health benefits among consumers as it is a fermented product and it sits in the sweet spot of ‘healthy indulgence’, due to its naturally sweet, creamy taste. It’s easier to develop fun new products in a trusted format that push the boundaries of traditional yoghurts with targeted health benefits. Many yoghurts already contain probiotics but adding prebiotic GOS can further add to these gut health benefits.
Yoghurt fortified with GOS is also great for meeting functional food trends across different life stages. For example, gut health benefits in mini, playfully packaged yoghurts for children, or as a yoghurt drink on-the-go between work and the gym for active adults, or as a decadent dessert-type yoghurt for seniors before bed.
Besides yoghurt, GOS works really well in trending formats like prebiotic sodas. Since GOS is a soluble and stable prebiotic, it can easily be incorporated into liquids without compromising flavour or sensory experience. Elsewhere, adding prebiotic GOS to favourites like ice cream can put a new spin on healthy indulgence. It provides all the gut health benefits of prebiotics, but studies also show that GOS can improve the physical and sensory aspects of ice cream.
C Balthazar et al., Effect of galactooligosaccharide addition on the physical, optical, and sensory acceptance of vanilla ice cream, Journal of Dairy Science, 98(7), 4366-4272, 2015.
Consumers want it all! That’s why ‘protein plus’ is such a big functional food trend, whereby products provide multiple health benefits, like enhanced gut health and muscle support, all at the same time. This is especially true in the performance and active nutrition markets, where people want to achieve marginal gains and are looking to improve different aspects of their well-being. Research shows that four out of five consumers want additional health benefits from sports nutrition products.
Innova Market Insights, ‘Trends report: the progression of fermentation’, 2022.
This could be improved focus and sharper reaction times, better sleep or overnight recovery.
With the emergence of the gut-muscle, gut-brain and gut-skin axes, there’s plenty of crossover with applications that provide gut health benefits and more. IThat’s why we developed Biotis® Fermentis, a first-of-its-kind solution which combines the benefits of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides, whey protein and probiotic cultures by fermenting them together. This results in a unique formulation that effectively targets the gut-muscle axis, supporting both athletic performance and holistic health.
By aligning with the multi-functional food trend, brands can move beyond pills and deliver nutrition that fits effortlessly into everyday life.
Technical and application expertise is crucial for translating science-backed ingredients into appealing functional foods and drinks that meet evolving consumer needs.
Dairy is at the very heart of FrieslandCampina Ingredients. We’re well-versed in supplying GOS ingredients for functional foods and drinks and work side-by-side with our customers to develop gut-friendly products that are delicious and nutritious.
Looking to stand out in active and performance nutrition? Our consumer-centric experts can help you turn insight into innovation and develop solutions that deliver genuine digestive benefits and that all-important ‘good gut’ feeling.
Get in touch today!
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