Beverage consumption upgrades, dietary fiber becomes mainstream!

Dietary fiber is known as the seventh largest nutrient in humans. Compared with the other six types of nutrients, the development of the dietary fiber beverage market is relatively lagging. The other six types of mineral beverages, protein beverages, vitamin beverages and other subdivisions are all different. Super category in the global beverage market. However, in recent years, the slightly backward dietary fiber has gradually been favored by many beverage giants.

Dietary fiber is a kind of polysaccharide. Because it can neither be digested and absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, nor can it produce energy, it was once considered a "non-nutrient substance" and has not received enough attention for a long time. However, with the in-depth development of nutrition and related sciences, people gradually discovered that dietary fiber has a very important physiological role.

Common water-soluble dietary fibers mainly include: inulin, dextran, resistant starch, chitosan, oat β-glucan, guar gum, sodium alginate, fungal polysaccharides, etc., barley and beans in common foods Foods such as vegetables, carrots, citrus, flax, oats and oat bran are rich in water-soluble fiber.

Advantages of water-soluble dietary fiber

High water retention and high expansion

There are many hydrophilic genes in the structure of water-soluble dietary fiber, which has strong water absorption, high water retention, and high swelling. It can delay gastric emptying, make the stomach feel full and reduce food intake.

Adjust the gut microbiota

Water-soluble dietary fiber can be fermented by beneficial bacteria in the large intestine into organic acids such as acetic acid and lactic acid, which reduces the pH of the intestine, promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium in the intestine, prevents atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, and maintains the balance and health of intestinal microbes.

Solubility and viscosity

Water-soluble dietary fiber is sticky and has a great influence on food viscosity. Due to the increase in viscosity, the contact between the intestinal contents and the intestinal mucosa is reduced, thereby delaying the rate of absorption, which is beneficial to the supply and metabolism of sugar.

Adsorption co-operation

There are many active genes on the surface of water-soluble dietary fiber, which can combine and adsorb organic molecules such as cholesterol and bile acids, inhibit the increase of total cholesterol concentration, reduce the synthesis and absorption of human cholesterol and salts, and reduce cholesterol in human serum and liver.

As people pay more and more attention to healthy foods, the application of dietary fiber has gradually extended from health products to a variety of beverages and foods. The era of functional foods dominated by dietary fiber is quietly coming, and dietary fiber beverages have gradually become The new trend of market development, the market prospect of water-based dietary fiber is broad and there is huge room for development.

Market prospects of dietary fiber beverages

The global dietary fiber market is huge and promising. In 2019, the global dietary fiber market reached 18.06 billion yuan, and the output reached 866,600 tons. It will continue to grow in the future. It is expected to reach 22.913 billion yuan by 2026, and the output will reach 1.2249 million ends, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.96%.