Germany-based Taiyo will be presenting a line of new dietary additives at Fi Europe in Paris, France this December, including a functional cola containing Sunfiber. Among the new ingredient concepts will also be on-the-go drink novelties and recipe ideas for green tea, chia and turmeric trends. Several of Taiyo’s to-be-presented innovations include Sunfiber, Taiyo’s “invisible, odorless, all-natural” dietary fiber additive which has clinically proven to aid digestive health.

The company’s soluble fiber ingredient, Sunfiber, is touted as providing all the benefits of dietary fiber, “without the negatives.” Although Sunfiber has mainly been featured in medical and beverage applications, Taiyo is now featuring its plans to broaden this scope by combining the ingredient with other bioactives to target health concerns that go beyond digestion, the gut and regularity.

Sunfiber Cola

Taiyo has combined Sunfiber with sugar-free cola to present Sunfiber Cola. The new soft drink concept can help with weight management as Sunfiber-enriched drinks increase the feeling of satiety. Sunfiber Cola’s guar-bean based, low FODMAP dietary fiber improves the bioavailability of calcium and magnesium and reduces bad LDL cholesterol. Just as in 2018 with Sunfiber Orange, Sinalco International and Sweethouse’s sweetening specialists have returned to Taiyo as Sunfiber Cola’s development partners.

Sunfiber is tasteless, odorless, all-natural and completely dissolvable in water, says the company.

Drink sticks to-go

Taiyo will also be introducing two ready-to-drink (RTD) sticks: pure Sunfiber and SunCurcumin, a combination concept made of dietary fiber with curcumin. Both RTD sticks are designed to be easily poured into beverages to provide a nutritional boost and help with digestion. SunCurcumin especially is touted for its anti-inflammatory properties and is 40 times more bioavailable than conventional curcumin. Taiyo partnered with DRS Pharma to develop this easily water-soluble agglomerate.

Natural L-Theanine from green tea

Another of Taiyo’s innovation stems from the tea space, with Sunphenon TH30. Its L-theanine variant, an amino acid naturally occurring in green tea, helps to achieve a smooth, balanced energy and focused state. As synthetic L-theanine can only be commercially sold outside of the EU, Taiyo now introduces a natural L-theanine with the same effect. Sunphenon TH30 is designed as an additive for hot and cold drinks, dairy products and mint sweets.

Chia protein

Lastly, the company will showcase its new developments in the chia range with its new concepts for RTD shakes based on either water, animal-based or plant-based milk. It features micro-fine ground chia protein of the highest purity, as chia protein no longer falls under the Novel Food Regulation and is approved for use in yoghurt, chocolate, juices, instant and isotonic drinks.

Other ingredients Taiyo will be featuring at Fi Europe include SunAmla, a highly bioavailable formulation that makes the immune-enhancing nutrients of the Ayurvedic Indian gooseberry available for dairy products and SunActive, a magnesium and zinc nutritional delivery system.

Varied applications

Taiyo’s ingredients hold a strong health halo in the nutritional space. Earlier this year, a pilot study from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (KPUM) in Japan indicated that six grams of Sunfiber may help improve constipation and irritability in children within the autism spectrum.

Regarding women’s digestive health, Taiyo also offers NPD Regular Girl, targeted toward women who suffer more regularly from digestive issues than men. The product is a finished supplement product for digestive health, made with five grams of Sunfiber and 8 billion CFU of probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis powder. The product is tasteless, odorless, without texture and dissolves easily into any cold beverage or food.

It also offers SunActive Fe, which was developed to help promote optimal absorption of iron while preventing the adverse gastrointestinal side effects of many forms of iron. This is particularly geared toward women due to not only the commonality of digestion issues but the fact that standard iron supplements tend to have a bad metallic taste and can exacerbate an upset stomach.