Gut Check: ‘Biotic Ingredients on the Move

With digestive health now a key driver for functional food and beverage purchases in the United States, according to Innova Market Insights, gut-friendly ‘biotics are poised for expanded growth beyond supplements. In fact, the probiotics and prebiotics segment is the largest functional food ingredients product category worldwide, Technavio reports.

“The food and beverage industry is experiencing a surge in products enhanced with probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics, particularly in categories such as dairy, functional beverages, snacks, and baby foods,” says Mathieu Millette, scientific director for Kerry. “Dairy items such as yogurt, kefir, and cheese . . . are now being fortified with additional ‘biotics to provide enhanced gut health benefits.”

The growth of plant-based ingredients is propelling the prebiotic ingredients industry, says Global Market Insights, which projects the $6.8 billion global market will record at least a 12.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2032 to hit nearly $20 billion. Inulin ingredients lead the prebiotic pack of nondigestible fibers, followed by fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and oligosaccharides.

The $5.8 billion global probiotic ingredients market is predicted to top $9.7 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 6.4% for the 10-year period, reports Future Market Insights, boosted by food and beverage processing as the leading sector. Probiotics like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Enterococcus can present challenges due to their heat and processing sensitivities, so manufacturers are turning to solutions such as spore-forming probiotics with protective shells and probiotics encapsulated in edible films for more resiliency.

Formally defined in 2021 by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, postbiotics are beginning to move beyond supplements and cosmetics into foods and beverages. Allied Market Research projects a 6.8% CAGR to $3 billion for the global postbiotic ingredients market from 2022 to 2031.

“Postbiotics remain extremely niche, but there is evidence of growth,” says Lu Ann Williams, global insights director at Innova Market Insights. “Athough growing from a very small base, we have tracked a +129% growth in new food and beverage launches tracked with postbiotic claims [fourth quarter 2019 to third quarter 2024].”

Emerging research also continues to explore broader ‘biotic benefits beyond the gut, including heart, brain, and skin health, along with new concepts like psychobiotics for mental health and synbiotics that combine probiotics with prebiotics for an added boost.

View a timeline of ‘Biotics Throughout History.

‘Biotics’ Glossary

Biotic—relating to or resulting from living things

Fermentation—metabolic process where organisms convert carbohydrates into acids, gases, or alcohol without oxygen

Fructan—dietary fiber that is a polymer of fructose molecules, normally with a sucrose unit

Fructooligosaccharide—fructan with a short chain length that occurs naturally in plants; also FOS, oligofructose, oligofructan

Functional fiber—isolated or purified carbohydrates that are not digestible and are absorbed in the small intestine, producing beneficial physiological effects; also isolated fiber

Galactooligosaccharide—oligosaccharide comprising galactose residues produced through enzymatic conversion of lactose; also GOS, oligogalactosyllactose, oligogalactose, oligolactose, transgalactooligosaccharides (TOS)

Inulin—naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants, most often extracted from chicory commercially

Oligosaccharide—carbohydrate chain of three to 10 simple sugars

Paraprobiotic—inactivated microbial cells made of molecules of bacterial cell wall compounds that confer a health benefit on the host

Postbiotic—preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host

Prebiotic—substrate that is selectively used by a host microorganism to produce a health benefit

Probiotic—live microorganism that, when administered in adequate amounts, confers a health benefit on the host

Psychobiotic—class of probiotics that can produce or stimulate production of neurotransmitters, short-chain fatty acids, enteroendocrine hormones, and anti-inflammatory cytokines to potentially deliver mental health benefits

Synbiotic—mixture of live organisms (probiotics) and substrates selectively used by host microorganisms (prebiotics) that confers a health benefit on the host

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Drinking Up Postbiotic Beverages

• Soft drinks is the top category in new food and beverage launches with postbiotic claims, with a 45% share, according to Innova Market Insights. One of the newest thirst-quenching options is Step Change Innovation’s AMABIE Sparkling Immunity Tonic in three flavors made with postbiotic IMMUSE, a patented strain of Lactococcus lactis.
• ADM’s postbiotic ES1 (Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347) took home the Health Innovation Award at Food Ingredients Europe in November 2024, showcasing the ingredient’s potential for carbonated soft drinks and long-life dairy.
• Postbiotics are widely used in functional beverages, and most academic research on postbiotic food products to date has focused on beverages, infant formulas, and cereal-based products.

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Postbiotic Ingredients: Food Formulation Benefits

• Longer shelf life than live probiotics
• Stable throughout a wide range of temperatures
• Antibacterial properties
• Enhancement of sensory attributes such as flavor and texture

Source: Industry reports

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Inulin Insights

As the largest segment of the prebiotic ingredients category, the inulin market is expected to grow from $1.7 billion to $2.3 billion globally by 2033, according to Future Market Insights.

Food and beverage usage generated 56% of the total demand worldwide for inulin in 2023, according to Future Market Insights, and Innova Market Insights reports that launches with chicory root fiber and inulin agave increased in 2024. Look for new products like Beech-Nut’s line of prebiotic baby and toddler offerings—including Prebiotic Fiber fruit and veggie blends with chicory root fiber—and NextFoods’ GoodBelly organic Prebiotic Sparkling Water with blue agave inulin.ft