Prebiotic innovation: Nestle Japan adds collagen, lactic acid bacteria to dietary fibre product line

One of the new products, ISOCAL Fiber Lactic acid bacterium Plus, contains one billion CFU of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG.​

The other product, ISOCAL Fiber Collagen Plus, is added with hydrolysed, low molecular weight collagen peptide, and vitamin C for supporting beauty-from-within.

Both products, which come in powder form, contain dietary fibre derived from partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG), which also serves as a prebiotic.

The products can be added into drinks and soups at normal or low temperature to protect the viability of the lactic acid bacteria.

The company pointed out that there has been a lack of dietary fibre intake among the Japanese population.

“Dietary fibre is rarely present in animal foods such as fish, shellfish, and meat, but is abundant in vegetables. ​

“[Based on the ​Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 version)​​], the recommended daily intake for men aged 18 to 64 is 21g or more and for women, it is 18g or more.​

“However, there is a tendency for the actual intake to be insufficient across all age groups,” ​the firm said.

The median dietary fibre intake for Japanese adults was between 11.8g and 14.9g for men, while that of women was between 10.8g and 15.1g per day, according to the 2010 and 2011 National Health and Nutrition Survey.​

The company pointed out that PHGG has been widely used for patient care in medical and long-term care settings.

However, unlike the first Isocal Fiber product, which was launched in March, these two newly added products do not bear any health claims. 

Both are regulated as foods and are available via Nestle mail order online store.

Through the two new products, the company hopes to offer consumers the options to consume dietary fibers easily, Naoko Ogawa, media relations assistant manager at Nestle Japan told us.

"Since the launch, both products are highly appreciated among women in their 30s to 40s and are conscious about health maintenance and beauty," ​Ogawa said. 

First Isocal Fiber ​

Nestle Japan launched its first ISOCAL Fiber product as a Foods with Function Claims (FFCs) in March – also its first and only FFC for this year, based on the FFC database Plusaid.

The product can claim to 1) improve bowel movement and 2) suppress the rise in blood sugar after meals.

Dietary fibre intake is said to be negatively correlated to lifestyle related diseases, including stroke, cardiovascular disease, the development of diabetes, and breast and gastric cancer.

A meta-analysis by Chinese researchers​ found that the supplementation of guar gum could decrease total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).  

Another study, published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition (JCBN),​​ has showed that the supplementation of PHGG could improve constipation and gut dysbiosis symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder.