ClonBio Foods has announced plans to build a commercial-scale production facility for its proprietary prebiotic dietary fibre, FibAX in a major commercialisation milestone that caps eight years of development,

Located at the company’s ingredient production campus in Dunaföldvár, Hungary — which already houses its PurusPro barley protein operation — the new site will be entirely dedicated to extracting fibres from grains.

Expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2027, the facility moves FibAX from pilot scale to commercial volumes, providing food and beverage manufacturers with a steady supply of a highly differentiated gut health ingredient.

Giving formulators flexibility and low-dose efficacy

Derived intact from the cell walls of upcycled corn bran, FibAX is a high-molecular-weight native corn arabinoxylan. Because ClonBio Foods isolates the fibre without disrupting its natural length and native branched structure, it ferments slowly and predictably within the gut.

For food and drink producers, this structure solves several traditional formulation challenges.

“Arabinoxylan fibres have been studied for years and the science behind them is strong, but nobody has produced them at commercial scale in their native form,” said Enda Ryan, CEO of ClonBio Foods. “Moving to commercial scale lets us supply the volumes demanded by premium brands and products alike.”

Ryan noted that for premium brands developing gut health products, “one of the biggest advantages is that FibAX delivers meaningful metabolic activity at a low dose. That gives formulators more flexibility while still supporting the gut health outcomes consumers are looking for.”

Research indicates that FibAX produces approximately three times more short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) than inulin over a 24-hour period, sustaining this metabolic activity further along the colon to support gut integrity and overall metabolic health.

High tolerance and sugar reduction

A primary hurdle for manufacturers using traditional prebiotic fibres, such as inulin or resistant maltodextrin, is consumer discomfort. Many existing options trigger bloating and gas at functional doses, capping how much a brand can include in a serving.

FibAX bypasses this issue through its slow fermentation profile. In clinical testing at the Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre in Ireland, the fibre produced up to seven times less gas at typical daily serving doses (three to six grams) compared to alternative fibres.

Beyond gut health, the ingredient offers potent structural functionality for sugar reduction. In a controlled study of 53 participants, a cake reformulated with just 1.5% FibAX achieved a 30% reduction in sugar while generating a lower post-meal glucose response than versions made with standard and resistant maltodextrins.

Targeting premium global applications

As global demand surges across Europe, North America, and Asian markets like South Korea, ClonBio Foods is positioning the ingredient for functional, clean-label, and sustainable applications. Because it is upcycled from a co-product of grain processing, it allows brands to bolster their environmental and circular economy credentials.

The company expects the ingredient to be rapidly adopted across four primary sectors dietary supplements and functional powders, prebiotic and probiotic blends, functional beverages, and functional dairy products.

By combining low-dose efficacy with exceptional digestive tolerance, the upcoming facility provides a reliable foundation for brands looking to anchor premium health claims in highly competitive categories.