BioNeutra’s VitaFiber IMO sweetener honoured for sports performance

A bottle of sweetener VitaFiber by BioNeutra.
Photo: Robert Bray

EDMONTON — An Alberta developer and manufacturer of a natural sugar alternative was added another honour to a growing list this year as a finalist, top sports ingredient in Europe.

BioNeutra’s VitaFiber IMO was chosen by a jury of experts assembled by NutraIngredients — a European online news source for the nutrition industry — for its ability to improve sports performance, endurance and help with recovery and muscle soreness.

NutraIngredients is a digital publication based in the UK.

BioNeutra is a low-calorie, plant-based natural sweetener, prebiotic and dietary fibre used to replace sugar and increase fibre in yogurts, protein bars, ice cream, beverages and confectionaries and is sold to manufacturers on four continents.

VitaFiber IMO in combination with whey protein has been the subject of two published clinical trials conducted by one of the world’s top research universities that found it improved sports performance while helping to prevent sugar spikes and dips during workouts. The studies are listed on the National Institutes of Health clinical trial website clinicaltrials.gov.

A pilot study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0301-z).

This is the fourth international recognition this year for VitaFiber and BioNeutra and its third science honour.

BioNeutra operates a research and production complex in Edmonton with 5,000 square-feet of office and lab space, and a 45,000-square-foot plant with the capacity to produce 5,000 tonnes of product annually. Most production (roughly 15,000 tonnes annually) takes place at contract manufacturing plants in Indonesia and China.