Instant noodles are rarely associated with fibre or nutrition. But Indonesia’s Lautan Natural Krimerindo (LNK) is using the unlikely pairing to demonstrate how fibre can be incorporated into familiar foods.
The approach comes as fibre gains prominence in food and beverage innovation. Innova Market Insights’ 2026 Global Trends Report identified fibre as an ingredient expected to feature prominently in new product development.
“We see that the fibre intake trend is increasing. Based on our market and industry trends research for 2026, fibre intake is expected to grow,” said LNK product manager Yonathan Susilo.
“At the same time, we want to provide a concept to our customers that a good meal can be achieved simply with a convenient ingredient like FiberCreme. The common perception is that a healthy meal usually doesn’t taste good, so we want to promote that FiberCreme can provide good taste and health.”
FiberCreme is a multipurpose creamer that LNK promotes for use in beverages, snacks, bakery products, desserts and meals. The company also shares recipe ideas on Instagram as it seeks to reach younger consumers, particularly Gen Z.
“We’re targeting Gen Zs, who need snacks, convenience, indulgence and good taste. Fibre can be used to support their diet. Instant noodles are popular among Gen Zs. It is simple, tastes nice, and cheap. They need something that provides satiety, is simple, fast and convenient,” said Susilo.
“About 30 to 50 grams per day of FiberCreme is designed to support these needs. It adds creaminess and fibre into instant noodles, making it taste similar to carbonara. It can be added directly to foods. It has multiple usages – as a condiment in foods, as a replacement for full cream or milk powder in bakery products. It is also gluten-free and low GI.”
LNK also points to human studies examining FiberCreme-containing foods and markers including blood lipids and glucose response.
What studies say about FiberCreme
A controlled clinical study involving 53 adults aged 23–57 with borderline-high cholesterol or triglycerides examined the effects of consuming 86g of cookies daily for four weeks. The cookies contained FiberCreme, while the control group received cookies made with coconut cream. The researchers reported significant reductions in cholesterol, triglycerides and cardiac risk ratio scores in the FiberCreme group, while the control group did not display a significant change in their lipid profiles and cardiac risk ratio scores.
Another study examined rice prepared with different FiberCreme formulations and found increases in dietary fibre and resistant starch. In a human assessment, the glycaemic index of the prepared rice was lower than that of the control rice. The findings suggest that FiberCreme may influence the nutritional composition and glycaemic response of rice, although they do not establish that all FiberCreme-containing foods will have the same effects.
Susilo said FiberCreme uses soluble fibres to support its functional positioning. The product range uses different fibre sources depending on the intended application and formulation requirements.
The retail version of FiberCreme uses isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), while three variants for business-to-business (B2B) customers use inulin, polydextrose or resistant dextrin.
According to Susilo, the formulations address different processing and product-development requirements. The IMO version offers heat stability and mild sweetness for home use, while the B2B variants are designed for specific formulation needs.
For example, Susilo said the polydextrose formulation can support the development of products positioned as low-carbohydrate or sugar-free, subject to the finished product’s formulation. The resistant dextrin variant is designed for applications involving high-shear mixing, high temperatures or acidic conditions, including some shelf-stable yoghurt and fruit juice products.
Susilo emphasised that FiberCreme is different from regular non-dairy creamers, which typically contains glucose syrup.
“The main differentiator from regular non-dairy creamers is that FiberCreme replaces glucose syrup with soluble fibres. Other ingredients remain the same. But because of the addition of soluble fibres, FibreCreme is around 30% more expensive than regular non-dairy creamers,” said Susilo.
The premium pricing is what prompted the firm to look beyond Indonesia for market growth, as local consumers tend to be price sensitive and prioritise cost over nutrition claims, Susilo said.
Targeting export markets
“FiberCreme was launched in 2017, but we only recently started to look overseas for this product, because our market in Indonesia, consumers are not concerned about health, they prioritise price and taste. So they are happy with the regular non-dairy creamers. That’s why we are looking outside Indonesia. But within Indonesia this demand is growing, especially since covid,” said Susilo.
“Our coverage is ASEAN, Middle East, Europe and Australia. We’re starting to promote to USA and Singapore. But brand awareness is not there, so customers are not sure about the function. We have started in Malaysia and Philippines for retail since last year in Malaysia and two years ago in 2024 for Philippines. We need more brand awareness still in these regions.”
He added that the food authorities in different regions – such as in the US and Thailand – do not recognise IMO as fibre. This prompted the firm to develop the inulin-based variant, since inulin is popular and well known in these markets.
