The firm is currently seeing annual sales growth of around 15 per cent in the fibre on the US market and is also looking to expand sales in Europe.
The new plant in India, with a capacity of 5000 metric tons, will cut production costs for Taiyo, which until now has shipped the raw material from this region to plants in Japan or the US.The firm will now be shipping the finished product direct from India to customers.
"Guar is grown in north east India and Pakistan so it is logical to manufacture over there too," Josef Skrna, sales and marketing director at Taiyo Europe, told NutraIngredients.com.
SunFiber is a water-soluble dietary fibre produced by the controlled partial enzymatic hydrolysis of guar beans. Containing more than 80 per cent dietary fibre measured by AOAC methods, the ingredient has seen a significant boost in the US through a marketing agreement with Novartis. The leading consumer health firm markets it as a powdered fibre supplement, called BeneFiber, for mixing into soft foods and drinks.
But while Taiyo is selling around 2500 tons of the product each year in the US, Europe only makes around a tenth of this kind of sales.
Increasing evidence of the importance of fibre in preventing disease could help grow sales however, especially with moves to establish health claims for foods with high fibre content. Both Sweden and the UK have approved such claims, under a voluntary code of practice, prior to European regulation in this area.
SunFibre has been shown in clinical studies to lower both serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride in humans. But one area that could drive sales of the product further, is evidence of its low impact on the glycemic index.
New studies, including one to be published shortly, have confirmed the regulation of blood sugar levels and the lowering of glycemic index value through consumption of the fibre. Consumer purchasing based on a food's GI is on the increase in the UK market and as food firms begin to educate consumers on the benefits of foods with a slow glucose release, certain fibres may see a significant boost.
In a trial published in the April issue of the Journal of Nutrition, a bar formulated with guar gum fibres reduced peak blood glucose concentration 30 per cent in healthy adults compared to a control cereal bar.
SunFiber has been approved as a FOSHU food in Japan and requires no pre-marketing approvals in Europe.
Taiyo Kagaku also manufactures the green tea ingredient L-theanine, under the name Suntheanine.