Why do we call our cookies ‘prebiotic-inspired’?
For us, a cookie should always be something to enjoy first and foremost. But when developing our recipes, we looked beyond taste and texture alone. We deliberately selected a variety of plant-based, fibre-rich ingredients, drawing inspiration from what science currently tells us about prebiotic fibres and the gut microbiome. That is why we describe our cookies not as prebiotic, but as prebiotic-inspired.
1. First things first: what is a prebiotic?
Not every type of fibre is automatically a prebiotic.
Prebiotics are substances used by microorganisms in the body that may offer a health benefit.
Many of these substances are not fully digested in the small intestine. As a result, they travel further through the digestive system, where certain gut bacteria can ferment them.
This process is one of the reasons why the relationship between dietary fibre, fermentation and the gut microbiome is the subject of so much scientific research.
2. Why are these fibres interesting?
When these fibres are fermented in the large intestine, they produce substances including short-chain fatty acids, such as acetate, propionate and butyrate.
These compounds have been linked to providing energy for intestinal cells, supporting the gut barrier and regulating immune and inflammatory processes.
3. A deliberate choice of inulin and pulses
We deliberately chose ingredients such as inulin and fibre-rich pulses.
Inulin belongs to a group known as inulin-type fructans. This group has been studied extensively for its prebiotic properties.
Pulses are also of interest, partly because of their fibre and resistant starch content, and are increasingly recognised in scientific literature for their prebiotic potential. Resistant starch is not fully digested in the small intestine and can therefore be used by microorganisms further along the digestive tract.
4. But we did not want to rely on just a few fibres
Alongside inulin and pulses, our recipe contains fibre from ingredients including chia seeds, fruit, potato fibre and grape seed flour.
We find this interesting because different plant-based foods can provide different types of carbohydrates and fibre structures.
5. What actually happens to these fibres?
Our gut is not a sterile environment.
It is home to an enormous ecosystem of microorganisms: the gut microbiome.
Certain carbohydrates that our bodies cannot fully digest can be fermented by microorganisms in the large intestine. This produces various metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate and butyrate.
These substances perform a range of functions in the body. Butyrate, for example, is an important source of energy for the cells of the large intestine. Short-chain fatty acids are also being studied for their role in maintaining the gut barrier and regulating immune and inflammatory processes.
However, which bacteria respond, and to what extent, varies from one person to another. It depends on factors including the type of fibre, the wider dietary context and the individual’s existing gut microbiome.
That is why we believe it is important not to turn this into a simple promise.
The microbiome is fascinating precisely because it is so complex.
6. So why ‘prebiotic-inspired’?
We describe our cookies as ‘prebiotic-inspired’. This is not because we claim that a single Bisous cookie is, in itself, a proven prebiotic. It is because we deliberately selected our ingredients based on what science tells us about fibre, fermentation and the gut microbiome.
Ingredients such as inulin and fibre-rich pulses were consciously chosen because of their relationship with microbial fermentation and their prebiotic properties or potential.
When developing our recipe, our intention was very much to bring together ingredients of interest to the gut microbiome. And, of course, the result still had to be a truly delicious cookie.
MORE IN EVERY BITE!
Not built around a single ‘miracle fibre’,
but created with the gut microbiome in mind.
What is our information based on?
For those who would like to explore the science behind our ingredients in greater depth, our information is based in part on the following sources.
Inulin and prebiotic fructans
The Prebiotic Potential of Inulin-Type Fructans — scientific review
Pulses and resistant starch
Prebiotic Potential of Dietary Beans and Pulses and Their Resistant Starch — scientific review
Prebiotics and the gut microbiome
An Updated Review on Prebiotics — scientific review
This page provides background information on the thinking behind the development of our recipes. Bisous du Biscuit does not claim that its cookies have medicinal effects or that a single cookie is, in itself, a proven prebiotic.