Bespoke fibre and prebiotic supplement manufacturing

Inulin, psyllium and beta-glucan blends at claim doses

Fibre and prebiotic supplements for premium brands leave our Leicester facility as custom powders, sachets and stick packs, gummies and capsules, each one formulated and made on site. As a prebiotic supplement manufacturer, we specify inulin, psyllium, partially hydrolysed guar gum, resistant starch and beta-glucans by grade and dose, with claim doses from 3 g a day of oat or barley beta-glucans to 12 g of native chicory inulin. Fibre carries authorised claims for bowel function, faecal bulk, blood cholesterol and the blood glucose rise after a meal. Every batch comes with a certificate of analysis, and fibre and prebiotics sit within our gut health supplement manufacturing range.

In GB and EU law, fibre means carbohydrate polymers with three or more monomeric units that are neither digested nor absorbed in the human small intestine. Fibres extracted or made for food count only with a beneficial physiological effect shown by generally accepted scientific evidence, and fibre counts as 2 kcal per gram on the label. A prebiotic is narrower: a substrate that is selectively utilised by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit (Gibson and colleagues, 2017). Not every fibre is a prebiotic: psyllium and cellulose, for example, are little fermented by gut microbes.

Carob fibre, from the pod pulp, adds insoluble fibre rich in polyphenols. Chia seed brings fibre with the omega-3 fatty acid ALA and is an authorised novel food in GB and the EU for listed foods and amounts; in GB, food supplements are not among them (FSA register, 2025).

Twice-daily sticks for the 12 g inulin claim

• Powders carry full gram doses in tubs and are made in Leicester. See powder supplement manufacturing.
• Sachets and stick packs deliver one measured serving, such as 6 g of inulin twice a day towards the 12 g claim intake, and are made in Leicester. See sachet and stick pack manufacturing.
• Fibre gummies carry inulin, polydextrose or resistant dextrin at modest doses, often replacing sugar. The 12 g inulin intake would take too many pieces, so gummies suit "source of fibre" or "high fibre" claims instead; they are GMP certified, with an active assay on every batch. See gummy manufacturing.
• Capsules suit psyllium, glucomannan and beta-glucans at smaller doses, taken with water, and are GMP certified.
• Synbiotics pair a fibre with a live strain; see probiotic supplement manufacturing.
• Fibre-fortified foods, from bars to drinks, are made in Leicester too.

Fibre doses that don't bloat, gel too fast or cake

From 3 g of beta-glucans to 12 g of inulin

Fibre is a gram-dose ingredient, and the claim sets the dose, from 3 g a day of beta-glucans to 12 g of chicory inulin. EFSA set an adequate intake of 25 g of fibre a day for adults (EFSA, 2010). UK adults aged 19 to 64 eat 16.4 g of fibre a day on average, against a recommended 30 g, and 4% of adults meet the recommendation (National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023, June 2025).

Fermentation and tolerance

Gut microbes ferment soluble fibres in the colon into short-chain fatty acids and gas, and chain length sets the pace. In a controlled crossover trial in 26 healthy adults, up to 10 g a day of native inulin and up to 5 g of oligofructose were well tolerated, while oligofructose at 10 g gave the largest rise in symptoms, mainly flatulence and bloating (Bonnema and colleagues, 2010). We build tolerance into the formula: longer-chain grades, slower fermenters such as PHGG and acacia gum, split servings, and directions that build up the dose.

Viscosity and water

When glucomannan, guar gum, pectins or HPMC carry their claims, the conditions require a choking warning and advice to take them with plenty of water. Psyllium, glucomannan and guar gum thicken fast, so we specify particle size and agglomerated grades that disperse before they gel.

Caking, acid breakdown and gritty notes

Inulin, FOS and polydextrose attract water and cake, so we specify low-humidity handling and barrier packs. In acidic drinks, heat processing breaks inulin and FOS down into sugars, which lowers the fibre declared and raises the sugars. Earthy, bitter and gritty notes go through our flavour development and taste masking before launch.

Which fibres carry authorised claims, and at what dose

The table sets out the position as of October 2026, from the GB list of permitted health claims and the EU register.

Oat and barley beta-glucans also carry authorised claims on lowering blood cholesterol, with at least 1 g per quantified portion and the 3 g daily intake on the label. Psyllium husk has no authorised claim of its own in GB or the EU, and it has an EU herbal medicine monograph, so supplement copy stays with fibre content. For nutrition claims, "source of fibre" needs at least 3 g per 100 g or 1.5 g per 100 kcal, and "high fibre" at least 6 g per 100 g or 3 g per 100 kcal.

• "Prebiotic" on the label. Regulators such as the FSAI regard "prebiotic" as a health claim, and no prebiotic claim is authorised (FSAI guidance). Labels name the fibre and use its own authorised claim.
• United States. Only fibres that meet FDA's definition count as dietary fiber on the label. They include psyllium husk, guar gum and beta-glucan soluble fiber, and FDA also allows inulin, high-amylose resistant starch, polydextrose, GOS, glucomannan and acacia gum (FDA). An authorised health claim, in FDA's set wording, covers soluble fibre from whole oats, barley and psyllium husk, with at least 0.75 g of oat or barley soluble fibre, or 1.7 g of psyllium soluble fibre, per serving, and supplements make structure and function claims with the standard disclaimer.

Chicory, psyllium and guar fibres, blended in order and sealed

Fibres come from specialist processors: chicory inulin is extracted from the root with hot water, purified and spray dried; psyllium husk is separated from the seed, cleaned and milled; PHGG is made by cutting guar gum with enzymes. Every supplier passes our approval process before any material is used. Our process runs in five steps:

1. Specify. We set each grade by chain length, purity, particle size, viscosity and the claim it must carry.
2. Dispense. Each fibre is weighed against the batch record, with low-humidity handling specified for hygroscopic grades.
3. Blend. Fibres differ in density and particle size, so blend order and time are set for a uniform mix.
4. Fill and seal. Powders go into tubs or stick packs, and seals are checked for integrity.
5. Label check and release. Labels are verified on every batch, the critical control point in our HACCP plan.

The critical steps are dose accuracy for claim-bearing fibres, blend uniformity, moisture control and allergen control. Oat beta-glucan brings a cereal containing gluten, and GOS is made from lactose, a milk sugar, so our allergen management plan, with yellow colour coding, controls both from goods-in to label.

AOAC methods a prebiotic supplement manufacturer should name

Ask for the method behind every fibre figure on the label. Our specifications set the tests for each product and market, and accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) test every batch as part of every order, as our testing and batch release page explains.

• Total dietary fibre by AOAC 2009.01 or 2011.25, which capture soluble, low molecular weight fibres.
• Specific fibres: fructans such as inulin by AOAC 997.08 or 999.03, oat and barley beta-glucans by AOAC 995.16, and resistant starch by AOAC 2002.02, so claim doses match the pack.
• Physical checks: moisture, water activity, particle size, and viscosity and swelling for gel-forming fibres.
• Purity: heavy metals by ICP-MS, pesticide residues for plant fibres, and microbiology including Salmonella.

Every batch is released by quality control against its specification, and nothing is dispatched without quality control sign-off. We keep three retained samples per batch for shelf life plus one year, and a full mock recall, forward and backward with mass balance, runs in seconds. Every batch comes with a certificate of analysis and a batch release confirmation, and development adds the fibre specification, stability data and a claims review for each market. We are ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered. BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027. Your formula is yours, including its fibre specification and test plan. Start your project with your fibre, dose and markets, and we build the formula around them.

References: Gibson and colleagues, Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2017); Bonnema and colleagues, Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2010); EFSA, scientific opinion on dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre (2010); Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (2011); Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (2012); Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2314 (2015); National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023 (2025); US FDA, guidance on isolated or synthetic non-digestible carbohydrates as dietary fiber (2018).