PharmaBiome and Roquette collaborate on the development of tailored fibres
PharmaBiome and Roquette have reached agreement to use PharmaBiome’s proprietary technology, the NicheMap, which allows the screening and the formulation of innovative prebiotic solutions using novel soluble fibres developed by Roquette.
According to the companies, although 30 grams of fibre a day, is essential to nourish the intestinal microbiota and improve well-being, fibre intake is largely below recommendation in many countries, with a foreseeable increase in different health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and intestinal diseases in the coming years. This deficit in fibre intake is currently called the “fibre gap” and means that most people are lacking at least 10 grams of fibre per day in their diet.
The use of different fibres by selective bacteria induces the production of molecules – metabolites – that will impact the host’s health. These fibres are qualified as prebiotics. To optimise the health benefits of a fibre, it is essential to understand how gut bacteria use their substrates and what the produced molecules are. Knowing the structural characteristics that make a prebiotic out of a fibre is key to produce new ingredients with specific health properties.
PharmaBiome is a biotech company with a deep understanding of the link between microbiome composition and function. It uses the predictive microbiome technology NicheMap, and has demonstrated strong capabilities to predict the effect of prebiotic fibres on both microbial composition and activity in the human gut.
Roquette aims at helping people to close the fibre gap with fibre ingredients easy to use for complementing consumers’ daily diets through fibre enrichment and supplement. Roquette has been working with PharmaBiome since July 2017. The group has previously used and approved the technology on existing and prototyped fibre ingredients.
Dr. Tomas de Wouters, CEO of PharmaBiome, described the project as an “important milestone” in its long-term collaboration with Roquette taking the leap from understanding the effect of fibres to using our insights to develop and optimise fibre products.
“Our long-standing collaboration with Roquette is a great validation of the biological relevance of our NicheMap technology, expanding our understanding of the microbiome and its use in the field of prebiotics,” de Wouters said.
Backed by more than 20 years of proprietary scientific evidence in the field of soluble fibres, Roquette has developed the Nutriose soluble fibre range for several years. These ingredients contribute to selectively modulate the gut microbiota towards a healthier composition. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of Nutriose on blood sugar management, digestive health, satiety and sustained energy release. The overall results show that Nutriose meets the requirements of the definition of a prebiotic as defined by ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics). This partnership will be a key lever to extend the current fibre range, Roquette added.
Dr. Laetitia Guérin-Deremaux, head of nutrition and health R&D at Roquette, said: “This project with PharmaBiome will allow Roquette to offer new microbiome-targeted fibres with scientifically proven health benefits. We are very pleased by the results of this continued collaboration which reinforces our commitment to delivering plant-based innovative ingredients to the food, nutrition and health sectors.”
