European Food Safety Authority Clears Inulin-Propionate Ester for Food Use

The European Food Safety Authority has approved inulin-propionate ester, or IPE, as safe for use in foods. Breads, smoothies and cereals containing the additive could go on sale in Europe within the next year, according to researchers who developed it.

Gary Frost at Imperial College London and Douglas Morrison at the University of Glasgow created IPE 15 years ago by attaching propionate to the fibre inulin.

It took the pair and their colleagues 12 years to secure the EU approval. The additive passes through the stomach and small intestine before gut bacteria release the propionate, which raises short-chain fatty acid levels enough to stimulate GLP-1 and PYY. In a trial of 60 overweight people aged 40-65, a daily 10-gram dose increased blood levels of the two hormones and reduced food intake.

After six months, none of the IPE group gained significant weight, while 17 per cent of controls did. A separate trial of 270 people aged 20-40 found no difference in body weight after one year, but fat-free mass rose by more than one kilogram on average among IPE users. The only reported side effect was increased flatulence.

Most people cannot taste the additive, though a small proportion detect bitterness. Frost and Morrison are now in discussions with companies about commercial products. Morrison said he expects IPE-containing items to appear on EU shelves within 12 months.

The approval applies only in the European Union. Brendan Gabriel at the University of Aberdeen said evidence for weight-control benefits is mixed. The smaller trial in older adults showed prevention of weight gain, while the larger trial in younger adults measured fat-free mass without confirming it was muscle, he noted.