Five minutes at FI Europe  with … 

Thomas Schmidt
Marketing Director

Agro Food Industry Hi-Tech: What is going on with Beneo and prebiotics?

Thomas Schmidt: EFSA rewarded us for the many years of scientific work, that has led to 200 scientific studies, that we conducted with our chicory root fibers in terms of gut health and digestive health. We invest eight times more than the average company on R&D. And indeed, about two years ago, we received the green light to carry an exclusive health claim on our Orafti Inulin: “Chicory inulin contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency”. This claim is a proprietary exclusive for Beneo and its chicory root inulin and this ingredient will allow consumers to improve their gut health and regularity. As long as manufacturers fulfil the following criteria -that is, the formulation must allow for an intake of at least 12 grams of inulin/day-  our customers will be able to use this claim. We can combine this health claim with a “general statement of well being” – it is a statement on general health that we use as the prebiotic logo. As long as the customers are combining the EU health claim with the logo, they can bring a new credibility to the product. We conducted consumer research in several countries – including Italy, and they rate the value of our new prebiotic logo as very high; it tells them the product is natural and that it improves their digestive health, and this is more and more important for consumers. Gut health and general health are closely linked, and more and more people also understand the close link between gut and brain.

AF: Why is chicory root inulin so special?

TS: Because of the prebiotic fermentation. Inulin is found in many traditional foods and vegetables, even berries. But in chicory root the percentage is high and we can just extract it with a gentle hot water extraction process. These longer chain molecules are non-digestible and are fully fermented in the large intestine.

AF: Does it fit in infant or elderly nutrition?
TS: You can certainly use the chicory root inulin in infant nutrition, for example by making it a component of formula milk powders. It also stimulates the immune system of infants, there are already scientific publications on this and more are coming, our company’s R&D is very active on this topic. But we also have another functional carbohydrate, Palatinose, that can be also used in milk powders and other powder drinks. Its advantage is that it yields full energy, like sugar, but with a slower release. The blood glucose response is less pronounced and stretches over a longer period of time. This is a big advantage especially for school children – I give it to my kids every morning!

AF: Does BENEO follow a clean label approach?
TS: Especially with our rice ingredients, we are well positioned to live up to this increasing demand. We enable the manufacturing of lactose-free and gluten-free products. BENEO also offers natural, unmodified starches. All our products are made from nature, coming from chicory root, sugar beet, rice and wheat: there is some slight modification process for particularly performing rice starches but everyone does that. The rice portfolio is so big and complex, and depending on the technical requirements of your particular food you may have to choose the one over the other. Rice starch molecules are so small that they allow a fat-like sensorial experience, and they can be used as a fat replacement, while increasing texture and mouthfeel. Mostly relevant to our rice portfolio in fact are soups, vegetables and sauces. But from rice one can also extract protein, and the amino-acid profile of rice proteins is one of the closest to human mother milk.

AF: And we close the circle back to infant nutrition. It seems BENEO has a tightly integrated offer of ingredients.
TS: That is what we try to do. As you can see here at FIE, we have products resulting from combinations of our ingredients – for example a breakfast rice chocolate drink that is both sweetened with Palatinose -thus reducing the blood sugar response- and with our chicory root Orafti Inulin, allowing a “high in fiber” claim. Our rice blend Nutriz in turn substitutes milk without losing creaminess. The result is a healthy, vegan, natural, lactose-free product. We want to demonstrate that people can create products with lower glycemic profiles that still use a proper sugar. We have a holistic way of thinking with our portfolio, and not only do we support our industry partners along the whole product development in 82 countries, but we can recommend ingredient combinations to best satisfy the needs of our customers.

AF: What can we expect for the future of Beneo?
TS:We expect that healthful eating will continue to grow in power in 2018. A case in point is snacking. In years gone by a snack was seen as a carbohydrate rich, indulgent treat. However, today more consumers are becoming ‘Mindful Snackers’.  Clean label will continue to be big business in 2018, as the consumer conversation moves to embrace farming methods, pesticides and sustainability etc., as well as avoiding artificial colours, preservatives and sweeteners. That is why BENEO’s Remypure native rice starch continues to increase in demand, as it meets the ‘all natural’ expectations of consumers, as well as offering manufacturers many production and application benefits.