Chicory inulin in cereal bars: Improving nutritional profile

March 31, 2025

While cereal bars often project a healthy, fiber-rich image, not all of them live up to that expectation. Many of these seemingly wholesome bars pack a surprising amount of sugar and less dietary fibers than expected. Chicory root fibers are excellent ingredients to create wholesome, nutritious, and delicious cereal bars.

Sugar out, fiber in

Chicory root fiber, often known as chicory inulin or dietary fiber (chicory), presents a fantastic opportunity for creating clean label cereal bars. It allows for a significant reduction in sugar content while simultaneously boosting the fiber levels, aligning perfectly with the growing demand for health-conscious and minimally processed ingredients. Sucrose and glucose syrup can be completely removed from the formulation using a combination of chicory inulin and oligofructose. With our technical advice, you can create the preferred texture, whether it needs to be more chewy or crispy, to match consumer preferences. The texture of the bars can be influenced by the choice of inulin type and the ratio of inulin and oligofructose.

Digestible carbohydrates such as sugar and glucose syrup can partly or completely removed from the formulation, with the help of chicory root fiber, without major changes in the final product properties.

Nutritional benefits

By using chicory root fiber to replace sugar and increase fiber, you can produce a cereal bar that is not only tasty and convenient but also much healthier than the segment standard. For example, the Sensus no added sugars cereal bar delivers more than 5 grams of chicory root fiber per bar of 25 gram. Moreover, the texture of the bar can be adjusted to suit consumer preferences. With the reduced calorie content and enhanced nutritional profile, these high fiber cereal bars align perfectly with current trends for weight-conscious consumers seeking nutritious snacks.

Chicory root fiber helps maintain steady blood sugar levels. Chicory inulin and oligofructose are non-digestible soluble fibers that are not digested by the human digestive tract. They are fermented in the gut, and they are used as energy source by the gut microbiota. Therefore, these ingredients have a low glycemic response. An increasing number of studies supports the importance of a reduced glycemic response. Elevated glucose levels are consistently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, and probably obesity, even in the non-diabetic range.

The following nutritional claims are possible using chicory root fiber in bars like ‘sugar reduced’, ‘no added sugar’, ‘reduced glycemic response’, ‘source of fiber’ and ‘high fiber’.

Above all, chicory root fiber serves as a prebiotic, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria providing a health benefit. They contribute to a healthy gut and may improve overall health and well-being.

Chicory root fiber provides: