I-Corps: Translation Potential of an Encapsulated Dietary Fiber Delivery System

Award ID: 2633225

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a high-fiber food ingredient with an enjoyable texture that can be added to foods that people already eat. Adding meaningful amounts of fiber can make foods gritty, chalky, cloudy, or unstable during storage. This technology places fiber-rich material inside small, soft inclusions designed to remain smooth and stable during storage and release their contents when eaten. The platform could be incorporated into many products including yogurts, smoothies, beverages, frozen desserts, and snacks. This may help consumers increase fiber intake through appealing food experiences while also creating higher value uses for fiber-rich plant materials and agricultural by-products. It may also reduce reliance on powders, pills, and supplement-like formats for fiber consumption. This technology may lead to differentiated, fiber-forward products with attractive texture, stronger consumer appeal, credible nutrition positioning, and greater repeat-purchase potential across several growing functional-food categories. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a bio-adaptive, high-fiber liquid-inclusion platform. This technology integrates controlled micronization to reduce perceived grittiness, phase-transitioning hydrocolloid rheology to keep fiber suspended while preserving a clean liquid burst, chemical pre-equilibration to reduce calcium loss and alginate-membrane weakening, and optical design to manage fiber opacity. Previous research has demonstrated the central formulation approach, including smooth fiber-rich particulates, suspension during storage, and protection against common leakage, syneresis, and membrane-instability failure modes. These combined advances distinguish the platform from conventional flavor-focused liquid inclusions and powdered fiber products. This technology may reduce formulation risk and allow manufacturers to develop higher fiber products with improved stability, texture, sensory acceptance, and commercial flexibility across multiple food and nutrition categories. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman