China wants to boost consumption of the gut healthy carbohydrates, oligosaccharides, including the ingredient in next year's public health improvement program.

The Centre for Public Nutrition and Development plans to encourage food producers to add oligosaccharides to foods, despite the higher production costs involved (between 3-5 per cent, according to the department).

Under its public health improvement program, China has previously promoted the addition of iodine to salt (1993), nutrient-enriched flour and rice, iron-fortified soy sauce and vitamin A-enriched oil.

Zeng Hongying, director of the program said that the centre had already conducted many experiments on both animals and humans to investigate the benefits of oligosaccharides. The centre plans to cooperate with food producers to market the benefits of the ingredient.

About 600 or 700 companies already use oligosaccharides in food products, including dairy products, biscuits and confectionery, said Zeng. China currently has a standard in place for production of oligosaccharides but no standard for their application in foods.

Source:佚名