Two years ago, in 2016, Nexira took the lead to bring together acacia gum manufacturers to support the dietary fiber status for acacia gum.
Based on the discussion with the FDA on August 2018, Nexira—along with representatives of the gum acacia industry—decided to conduct additional studies to strengthen the body of evidence supporting the beneficial physiological effects of gum acacia on blood glucose attenuation and energy intake.
“Nexira, in charge of the supervision of the clinical trial driven by a famous American University, is pleased to announce that the study is now complete and results are about to be made publically available shortly,” notes Olivier Bove, Nexira regulatory affairs manager.
In summary, these additional studies are showing significant results supporting that gum acacia fiber has physiological benefits in healthy human subjects. The results of gum acacia consumption showed more precisely improvements in satiety, reduction in peak glucose response, improvement on serum insulin.
These results are consistent with existing research on gum acacia and add to the body of evidence that gum acacia provides physiological benefits as a functional fiber in human nutrition.
On behalf of Nexira and representatives of the gum acacia industry, Keller and Heckman LLP is now preparing a Citizen Petition that will be submitted to the FDA in April 2019. It will request that gum acacia be recognized as a dietary fiber for nutrition labeling and claims on foods and beverages marketed in the United States.
While the timeframe for the FDA’s response cannot be guaranteed, Nexira is hopeful to receive a positive response to our Citizen Petition this summer.
Nexira
129 chemin de Croisset
76723 Rouen, France
Phone: +33 2 32831818
Fax: +33 2 32831919
Website: www.nexira.com