US-based biotech company One Bio has raised US$27 million in a Series A round to commercialize its technology that transforms agricultural waste into odorless, colorless and tasteless fibers. F&B manufacturers can use these short-chain molecules in cereals, plant milks and sparkling water.

The process starts when a metal catalyst and an oxidizing agent react and produce reactive radical species that “chop up” polysaccharides into oligosaccharides.

This allows formulators to add significant levels of fiber that were previously “out of reach” because the fiber content made the end product unpalatable, says Matt Barnard, co-founder and CEO of One Bio.

“We have characterized and cataloged the structures of fibers across the plant world and the tool we use to do that can now make them available to add to almost any food or beverage. Basically, the method was originally developed as an analytical tool but it’s actually scalable as a process to produce large amounts of these oligosaccharides.”

The latest funding round was led by AlphaEdison, along with new investors including Leaps by Bayer, Mitsui E12, Morado Ventures, ReMY and DSM. It was backed by existing investors iselec, Skyview Life Sciences, Collaborative Fund and Acre Venture Partners.

Fiber needs

Barnard calls fiber the “poor cousin of protein” when it comes to consumer awareness, despite most Americans not consuming recommended amounts.

“The starvation of our microbiome and lack of sufficient dietary fiber can be attributed in part to the modern food processing techniques that strip a significant portion of fiber from our foods.”

He believes that increased dependency on highly processed foods has led to widespread fiber deficiency, which is linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. 

He advises that eating whole fruits, vegetables and whole grains with natural fiber intact rather than adding solubilized fibers to processed foods is better, but acknowledges “that’s not the world we live in.”

According to him, more than 70% of the calories consumed today are processed and “if we can slip more healthy fibers into people’s lives without asking them to change their behavior, that could make a huge difference.”

“The engine of health”

Consumer attitudes toward fiber are shifting due to rising health awareness about healthy diets. 

Bernard says this can be attributed to more discussions around pre-pro- and post-biotics due to references to the microbiome in the mainstream media and an increased understanding of the role of fiber in increasing satiety.

“We’re seeing more conversations about the microbiome as the engine of health, and we are starving our microbiome. We’re talking about adding simple fibers like oat fiber, olive fiber, orange fiber and apple fiber that, through our tech, we can add to food at very high inclusion rates.”

F&B companies are focusing on fiber concepts, such as GoodMills Innovation’s multi-fiber complex, which contains a mix of seven fibers targeting consumer gut health. Depending on the final verification, the ingredient can be added to bakery products for high or rich fiber traits.

F&B applications

One Bio’s process is “proprietary and novel” but can be “executed on equipment that is standard,” claims Barnard.

The company is now determining its first partner on-shelf in categories including “refreshment, oat and plant milk, juice and supplements and has existing contracts across categories such as confection, juice and supplements.”