Growing applications in weight loss products, green foods, dairy products, health beverages, mineral supplements, and nutrition bars, the worldwide prebiotics market size is expected to experience important development in the functional food industry. Prebiotics found mainly in foods such as leek, cereals, yogurt, bananas, table spreads, biscuits, onion, and wheat bran, help in consumers to stay healthy. Increasing prebiotic consumption is anticipated to drive the market during the forecast period, particularly in mature markets such as North America and Europe. As a prebiotic, fructo oligosaccharides demand is increasing at a fast pace.

Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that serve as food for the beneficial living bacteria in the gut. As customers achieve recognition of probiotics and prebiotics’ synergistic importance, consciousness and demand for prebiotic products is on the increase. It is expected that the deployment of prebiotics in medicines to reduce stress, boost memory and reduce fat will drive the market size of the prebiotics in the coming years. Prebiotics in dietary supplements and fermented food have a positive effect on sleep patterns and have also been beneficial in reducing the effects of physiological stress.

In the coming years, usage of prebiotics in the application of animal feed are expected to witness high gains due to increased livestock production, to meet the growing demand for animal meat as a major source of protein. Prebiotics also improve the productivity of cattle as they enhance their digestion, performance and immune system. The increase in the consumption of meat per capita, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean regions, together with the ban on the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter in animal feed, is expected to have a positive impact on the prevalent trends in the prebiotics market in the coming years.

In addition to galacto oligosaccharides (GOS), inulin has a significant market share of more than 40% in the prebiotics market and has lucrative opportunities in the years to come. Inulin is used for optimum gut functioning in food products and promotes the spread of normal bacterial flora and impedes pathogenic organism growth. Because of their laxative effects, fructo oligosaccharides (FOS) is widely incorporated in food products and infant formulae. FOS enhances fecal bolus and deposition frequency, which in turn lowers constipation instances due to the increasing trend of inadequate dietary fiber in modern society.

Fructo oligosaccharides’ major application is in food & beverage production, formula for infants, dietary supplements, feed for animals, and pharmaceuticals. Infant formula was the largest application segment, accounting for over 40% of the global market share of fructo oligosaccharides volume and revenue, followed by dietary supplements and food & beverage.

Due to the increasing demand from consumers, dietary supplements are the fastest growing application of fructo oligosaccharides. Modern consumers take interest beyond taste and attractiveness and have a growing focus on secure and healthy supplements. Fructo oligosaccharides have important physicochemical and physiological properties that are helpful to consumer health. As a result, their use as food ingredients has increased rapidly, resulting in significant position in the global market for functional foods.

Fructo oligosaccharides are generated primarily through two distinct procedures, i.e. inulin hydrolysis and sucrose transfructosylation. Production through sucrose transfructosylation dominated the worldwide fructo oligosaccharides market in 2018 and is likely to keep its dominance over the expected era. Oligo-Sugar, Beneshine Ptype, NutraFlora, Actilight, Meioligo, and Profeed are several commercially available foods that use sucrose as a substrate. Commercial food grade using inulin as a substratum includes Olifructinesp, Fibrulose, Orafti, and Frutalose.

In 2018, Europe dominated the global fructo oligosaccharides (FOS) market and is accounted for 40% of overall market share. Due to enhanced prebiotic consumption through nutritional and infant nutrition products, Europe was the dominant market for fructo oligosaccharides. Asia Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth rate of more than 11% over the forecast period due to increasing health awareness followed by increased per capita spending. Increasing urbanization is fueling the sale of packaged food products as a sweetener on the market, thereby increasing demand for fructo oligosaccharides.

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced a promising view on the adoption of non-digestible carbohydrates by replacing sugars in foods & beverages industry, thus in turn is expected to increase fructo oligosaccharides market concentration over the coming years. EFSA specialists stated that the claimed impact would result in the replacement of sugars with any non-digestible carbohydrates and will provide growth opportunities for fructo oligosaccharides business.

In Europe and Asia Pacific, rapid industrial growth and technological advances in the food industry have opened up favorable market trends for prebiotics. Additionally, existence of various end-user pharmaceutical companies such as Friesland Campina (Netherlands) and Royal Cosun (Netherlands), prebiotic ingredients indicates elevated demand from both countries for prebiotic products and is anticipated to increase the market volume of prebiotics. Growing opportunities for prebiotics is expected to offer lucrative growth for fructo oligosaccharides over the coming years.