The appetite suppressant bandwagon is getting crowded as yet another ingredients manufacturer jumps on board. Belgium-based Orafti claims that BeneoP95 reduces hunger and prospective food consumption.
The company says that the inclusion of prebiotic chicory root extract oligofructose differentiates the product from other dietary strategies. "The induction of endogenous satietogenic hormones by oligofructose offers an interesting approach to tackle the obesity problem," says Dr Anne Franck, executive vice president of science and technology at Orafti. "This should allow food manufacturers to use Beneo oligofructose to increase the satiety potential of their food products."
Dutch firm DSM Food Specialities is also pumping investment into appetite control ingredients. The firm obtained a licence to produce Fabuless last July and the oat and palm oil emulsion was a one of the main attractions at last year's Food Ingredients Europe show in Paris (Food Manufacture, November 2005).
The firm is keen to launch Fabuless in the UK. "We are talking to a UK dairy manufacturer about using Fabuless in either a single serving drink or spoonable product, says David Jobse, product manager for Fabuless. "There are a lot of cereal manufacturers interested in using Fabuless in their products, but we have to disappoint them at the moment because there is no dry formulation of our ingredient."
Perhaps this is where Unilever may have the upper hand. The company was granted an exclusive global licence to develop products using Hoodia Gordonii, a South African plant that is said to limit hunger, in December 2004. It plans to use the ingredient in a bar or shake format once it has gained regulatory approval.
The firm isn't concerned about being behind the competition: "There are manufacturers in the States who are selling Hoodia products," says a Unilever spokesman, "but the ones we've tested don't work. To say they're not playing fair is an understatement," he adds.
Phytopharm, a functional foods researcher, is working with Unilever on a £21m project to develop the extract for application in weight loss products and hopes to have a product on the market by 2007.