Although the opinion, like the other 2500+ article 13, general function health claim issued by EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) to date, has not yet entered the European Union register of approved and rejected claims, a Solvay spokesperson said the opinion was improving the company’s prospects already.
“It represents an advantage for us,” the spokesperson told NutraIngredients this morning. “Our target is the food industry and this opinion is helping very much with our development partners. It gives more visibility to our programme.”
Constipation relief
In the opinion, which followed an approval in Belgium in 2005, the NDA stated: “Lactulose as a synthetic sugar is used in the treatment of constipation. In the colon, lactulose is broken down to lactic acid and to small amounts of acetic and formic acids by the action of beta-galactosidases from colonic bacteria.”
“This process leads to an increase in osmotic pressure and slight acidification of the colonic content causing an increase in stool water content and softening of the stools.”
The panel approved the claim,“Lactulose contributes to a reduction in intestinal transit time” when consumed at a level of 10g per day.
The opinion can be found here.
The spokesperson said the company was preparing submissions for other health benefits.
A 10g dosage can be delivered for less than €0.10, the company said.
Lactulose is a disaccharide consisting of galactose and fructose traditionally used in the pharma sector for its constipation battling effects, but Solvay's focus is purely foods and food supplements.
Lactulose-containing products on-market in Europe include fruit juices in Germany, baked products in France, infant nutrition products in northern Europe and fermented milk in the Ukraine.
Prebiotic?
While Solvay does not market lactulose as a prebioitc, it is worth noting the NDA lactulose opinion was, “the first positive opinion on a prebiotic but not as a result of its prebiotic effect,” prebiotics researcher, Professor Bob Rastall, head of the department of food sciences at the University of Reading, said recently.
“EFSA rejected the claim on the prebiotic effect to decrease potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms but accepted the osmotic laxation claim.”
Rastall said such a gut health mechanism was common to other sugars and sugar alcohols.
“This is well established. This is not a prebiotic effect, which refers to manipulation of the microbial ecology (such as a reduction in pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens or increase in probiotic bacteria).”