Tests using ProDigest’s Mucosal Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (M-SHIME) platform revealed that the proprietary blend significantly increased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, and this was greater than the increases observed for prebiotic fibers inulin and psyllium, according to findings published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Scientists from ProDigest (Belgium), Van Drunen Farms and Futureceuticals (USA) and the University of Ghent (Belgium) also reported that NatureKnit Organic increased the bacterial total abundance, as well as species richness.
The proprietary blend is reported to contain a minimum of 40% dietary fiber and 1% to 4% of naturally occurring fiber-bound polyphenols.
“The slower, sustained decrease in pH that was observed with NatureKnit Organic indicates a more gradual fermentation for this product compared with the purified prebiotic fibers,” wrote the authors, led by ProDigest’s Marlies Govaert. “Slower fermentation may impart additional health benefits compared with faster fermentation. For example, it is hypothesized that slower fermentation may benefit the gut by lowering the level of fiber fermentation in the proximal colon, and increasing the level in the distal colon where the benefits of metabolic byproducts of fiber fermentation, such as SCFAs, are more pronounced.
“Considering that NatureKnit Organic includes both a diverse array of fibers (fruit and vegetable) and polyphenols and that the comparator products contain only purified fibers, we speculate that the presence of polyphenols may contribute to the slower fermentation observed with the NatureKnit Organic product.”
Demand for fiber
In 2025, consumers woke up to the importance of prebiotic fibers, as evidenced by the social media wellness trend coined ‘fibermaxxing’, which involved strategically maximizing daily fiber intake to hit or exceed recommended fiber targets.
According to a recent webinar by Spate, the fiber category is no longer exhibiting the characteristics of a short-lived wellness trend. Instead, the data shows that fiber is a high-volume social media search term posting solid year-over-year growth. As noted in Spate’s report, across Google, TikTok and Instagram, fiber is now reaching a very large scale with tens of millions of monthly searches and mentions.
Spate’s analysis also suggests that consumer engagement with fiber supplements is evolving from a general wellness add-on to addressing more specific dietary or gut-focused concerns.
Brendan Kesler, R&D innovation director for Van Drunen Farms/FutureCeuticals, Inc. told NutraIngredients that the company remains very optimistic about the future of the prebiotic category, especially as emerging science continues to reveal how different prebiotics uniquely influence the microbiome.
“This growing understanding will drive greater differentiation, transparency, and more informed consumer choices. NatureKnit is well‑positioned in this landscape, delivering validated science, clearly defined benefits, and a fully sustainable, real‑food prebiotic solution," he said.
Study details
The researchers performed a short-term (48-hour) in vitro colonic simulation using the M-SHIME platform, inoculated with feces from nine individual healthy human donors. NatureKnit Organic was compared to purified organic inulin and psyllium. The test products were fiber-matched to each provide 1.667 g fiber/L. A negative control was also included.
Results showed that each test product did ferment in the M-SHIME system, but the slowest fermentation kinetics were recorded for NatureKnit Organic. Additionally, all test products led to significant increases in SCFA levels compared to the negative control, with the NatureKnit Organic simulation producing significantly more compared to both inulin and psyllium.
These SCFA increases were linked to increases in SCFA-producing microbes, including Bifidobacteriaceae (acetate producers), Lachnospiraceae (acetate, propionate, and/or butyrate producers), Bacteroidaceae (acetate and/or propionate producers) and Ruminococcaceae (acetate, propionate, and/or butyrate producers).
The researchers also noted that members of Lachnospiraceae, including the butyrate producers Roseburia and Blautia, have been linked to beneficial effects on gut inflammation.
“The increase in health-promoting SCFA levels with NatureKnit Organic supplementation, to an even greater extent than observed with the established organic prebiotics inulin and psyllium, supports a prebiotic role for Organic NatureKnit,” they wrote.
The ingredient also drives higher species richness and overall bacterial abundance, whereas inulin reduced total bacterial load under the same conditions. Because low microbiome diversity is associated with multiple chronic conditions, the observed improvements highlight NatureKnit Organic’s potential to support gut health, wrote the researchers.
“Overall, the in vitro study findings suggest that NatureKnit Organic may have a greater and gentler prebiotic effect than organic inulin or psyllium, which might predict, but does not confirm, reduced intestinal side effects in humans,” the researchers wrote. “These effects should therefore be further addressed in human clinical trials.”
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition, Volume 12, doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1740906. “Effects of NatureKnit organic, a blend of organic fruit and vegetable fibers rich in naturally occurring bound polyphenols, on the metabolic activity and community composition of the human gut microbiome using the M-SHIME gastrointestinal model”. Authors: M. Govaert, et al.
