According to the International Organization for Standardization technical specification, ISO 19657:2017, Taiyo’s Sunfiber dietary fibber is a 100% natural ingredient. This is good news for food manufacturers. Not only can they simplify the certification process for their own products, they can also use the “natural dietary fibber” claim on their product labels.

At the same time, consumers who are increasingly concerned about the origin of their food and value naturalness, also benefit from the guaranteed quality of the ingredient. To recognize whether or not a product contains a natural and/or a synthetically produced dietary fibber is not easy. There are a lot of chemically modified, polymerised, denatured or synthetic fibbers on the market that, at first glance, look familiar and appear to be natural, as denatured starch or polydextrose.

“In today’s climate of adulteration and contamination, it has never been more important to take every necessary step to ensure ingredient quality,” says Dr Stefan Siebrecht, managing director of Taiyo Germany. “Pure and safe raw materials are the measure of all things for us and a prerequisite for high-quality products. We would, for example, welcome an officially authorized organization that certifies natural products.

“As a result, companies could communicate this certification to consumers. Close supplier relationships and quality control based on the strictest regulations and standards are therefore part of our daily business. Our customers can rest assured that they’re buying genuine, natural raw materials of the highest quality from us, which subsequently contribute to clean labelling.”

Backed by science, Sunfiber is clinically proven to lower the glycaemic index, contributing to stabilized blood glucose levels. For this reason, Sunfiber has achieved a Health Claim for lowering after-meal blood glucose levels by 20% from the Canadian health authorities. It comprises 100% partially hydrolysed guar gum from the Indian Guar Bean (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus) and is Taiyo’s versatile all-round water-soluble solution when it comes to enriching food and beverages with digestive fibbers. Sunfiber acts as a probiotic in the gastrointestinal tract and helps to slow down and reduce the absorption of fat, cholesterol and sugar. It is compatible with a low FODMAP diet because its fermentation rate is very slow, which means that it doesn’t induce painful gas, cramping or discomfort.

Taiyo, which specializes in plant-based concepts with nutritional benefits, is constantly working on new concepts and is going to certify more products to differentiate them from synthetic ones.