Imperial College spinout Satisfed wins EU approval for appetite-regulating fiber ingredient

A novel dietary fiber designed to help prevent gradual weight gain has been added to the European Union's List of Authorised Novel Foods, paving the way for its use in products including bread, cereals, smoothies and nutritional supplements.

• IPE received EU novel food authorization.
• Fiber ingredient is designed to help prevent weight gain.
• Spinout Satisfed is seeking manufacturing partners.

The ingredient, known as inulin propionate ester (IPE), was developed over 15 years by researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow's Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC). Rather than acting as a weight-loss treatment, it is intended to help people avoid the gradual weight gain that can accumulate over time.

According to the research team, IPE combines inulin, a naturally occurring fiber found in foods such as chicory and onions, with propionate, a naturally occurring short-chain fatty acid. The ingredient is designed to deliver propionate directly to receptors in the colon that stimulate appetite-regulating hormones, helping people feel fuller for longer.

Professor Gary Frost, Chair in Nutrition and Dietetics at Imperial College London's Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, said: "A small calorie surplus each day will lead to significant weight gain over time. Even one extra kilo a year in young adults is enough to create serious weight problems by middle age. We already know that a higher fibre intake can counter this, but we also know that most people find it difficult to take in enough fibre and are falling far short of the recommended intake levels."

Randomized controlled trials carried out by the researchers found that consuming around 10g of IPE per day helped regulate appetite and prevent weight gain.

Professor Douglas Morrison of SUERC said the ingredient offers a different approach to tackling obesity than current weight-loss medicines. "We have brought together two natural ingredients to stimulate appetite-regulating hormones at exactly the right site in the gut. Although GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown great results in helping people lose weight, IPE could help stop the kind of slow, steady weight gain that makes those drugs necessary."

The research team also reported longer-term studies suggesting additional benefits, including preservation of lean body mass, improvements in liver fat and potential effects on immune and metabolic health.

Late last year, the European Food Safety Authority issued a positive scientific opinion after reviewing toxicological, nutritional and microbiological data. Following final authorization by the European Commission, IPE has now been added to the EU's authorised novel foods list, allowing it to be commercialized for use in foods.

The researchers said the regulatory milestone demonstrates that academic research can progress from laboratory discovery to commercial application, although they noted that the European food approval process alone took six years.

To commercialize the ingredient, the team has launched a spinout company, Satisfed, which is now seeking industrial partners capable of scaling production beyond its current pilot-scale output of a few hundred kilograms.

Professor Morrison said: "We know that there is a lot of commercial interest currently in how to engineer optimum nutrient delivery to the gut, to lead to the best possible outcomes for consumers, and we hope to capitalise on that interest."

Professor Frost added: "IPE's inclusion in the Novel Foods List gives people who are beginning to struggle with their weight a new way of preventing further weight gain. We look forward to seeing how it will be incorporated into different foods and eating plans."