IBIE - 2019 Show Daily, Tuesday - 14

Fiber deﬁnitions expand
Inulin and resistant starch now meet FDA standards

rain-based foods manufacturers now have a
clearer view on what
the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow in fiber claims on food
labels as the 2019 IBIE kicks
off, much clearer than the
view they had during the 2016
Expo. FDA finally said that inulin and resistant starch, both
used often in the grain-based
foods industry, meet its fiber
definition.
On March 27, FDA said it
intends to propose that crosslinked phosphorylated RS4,
a kind of resistant starch, be
added to its definition of dietary fiber. The agency took
its action in response to a
citizen petition from MGP
Ingredients (Booth No.
4623). FDA determined that
scientific evidence suggests
cross-linked phosphorylated
RS4 has been shown to help
reduce insulin levels following a meal containing a carbohydrate that raises blood
glucose levels.
"ABA and its members
greatly appreciate FDA's additional action on dietary fiber
sources," said Lee Sanders,
senior vice-president, government relations and public affairs for the American Bakers
Association (ABA) (Booth
No. GL1). "It allows our members and other fiber users to
move forward with flexibility to choose fiber sources for
products we make for American consumers.
"The enforcement discretion
is significant as it enables bakers and others to move forward
confidently as they prepare to
comply with the Jan. 1, 2020,
Nutrition Facts Labeling implementation deadline."
FDA defined fiber for the
first time when announcing
the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Label final rule
on May 27, 2016. The definition included non-digestible

soluble and insoluble carbohydrates (with three or more
monomeric units) and lignin
that are intrinsic and intact
in plants as well as isolated
or synthetic non-digestible
carbohydrates (with three
or more monomeric units)
determined by FDA to have
physiological effects that are
beneficial to human health.
Examples of intrinsic and intact include fiber in vegetables,

meet the fiber definition based
on physiological effects. A
breakthrough came in June of
2018 when the administration
ruled in favor of several citizen
petitions, adding ingredients
to its definition of fiber.
Suppliers of inulin, which already was promoted as fiber in
products like Fiber One bars,
received good news. The FDA
said inulin and inulin-type
fructans, often sourced from

"It allows our members and other
ﬁber users to move forward with
ﬂexibility to choose ﬁber sources
for products we make for American
consumers."
Lee Sanders, senior vice-president, government relations and
public affairs for the American Bakers Association (ABA)

whole grains, fruit, cereal bran,
flaked cereal and flours.
Turning to isolated or synthetic non-digestible carbohydrates, examples of physiological effects are lower blood
glucose, reduced cholesterol
levels, lower blood pressure,
increased frequency of bowel
movements, increased mineral absorption in the intestinal tract and reduced energy
intake. Isolated or synthetic
non-digestible carbohydrates
quickly meeting the fiber definition were beta-glucan soluble fiber, psyllium husk, cellulose, guar gum, pectin, locust
bean gum and hydroxypropyl
methylcellulose.
Manufacturers of other ingredients including inulin
and resistant starch submitted
citizen petitions to FDA saying
why their ingredients should

14 * IBIE * Tuesday, September 10, 2019

chicory root, met the fiber definition because they provide
beneficial physiological effects in the form of bone mineral density and absorption of
calcium. Branded inulin and
inulin-type fructans include
Frutafit and Frutalose from
Sensus America, Inc., OliggoFiber from Cargill, (Booth No.
451) and Orafti from Beneo,
Inc., NJ .
Resistant starch 2 met the
fiber definition because of a
reduced post-prandial insulin
response in the absence of a
rise on post-prandial glucose.
Ingredion, Inc. (Booth No.
2245) offers a resistant starch
2 ingredient in its Hi-Maize resistant starch.
Also meeting the fiber definition were mixed plant cell
wall fibers, which include sugar
cane fiber and apple fiber. Oat

fiber qualifies as a mixed plant
cell wall fiber, and it also meets
the fiber definition because oat
fiber is intrinsic and intact, according to Grain Millers, Inc.
(Booth No. 221)
Other ingredients FDA said
met its June 2018 fiber definition were arbinoxylan, alginate, galactooligosaccharide,
polydextrose and resistant
maltodextrin/dextrin.
While resistant starch 2 met
the definition, FDA waited
until March of this year to say
resistant starch 4, in the form
of cross-linked phosphorylated RS4, met the fiber definition.
"We are thrilled with the
findings and confirmation we
received from FDA ," said Michael Buttshaw, vice-president
of ingredient sales and marketing for MGP Ingredients. "We
stand ready to support all our
industry partners in providing
this long-standing dietary fiber as they create the best food
brands possible."
The fiber claim situation is
much clearer as the compliance dates near for the new
Nutrition Facts Panel. The
compliance dates are Jan. 1,
2020, for manufacturers with
$10 million or more in annual
food sales and Jan. 1, 2021, for
manufacturers with less than
$10 million in annual food
sales.
The Dietary Guidelines for
Americans 2015-2020 considers fiber a nutrient of public
health concern because low
intakes are associated with
health problems. The International Food Information
Council Foundation's 2019
Food and Health Survey revealed consumer interest in
fiber. When asked about perceived healthfulness, over 85%
of respondents said they considered fiber as healthy, which
was the top answer.
- Jeff Gelski,
Milling & Baking News

IBIE - 2019 Show Daily, Tuesday

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