An emulsifier is an additive which is used to bind together oil and water - an emulsion. While this has obvious effects on the texture and consistency of a liquid food, emulsifiers are also useful for helping products to withstand being processed. In addition, they help to make foods last longer by lengthening their shelf life.
An exhaustive list of available emulsifiers would be too long to reproduce in full, but the substances come under the E numbers 400 to 499. They include ones such as various types of alginates (potassium, sodium, calcium and ammonium, for example), diphosphates or various types of cellulose such as ethyl or microcrystalline.
While emulsifiers are useful for their shelf-life extending properties, they have also seen their market driven by the consumer desire for lower fat products. Research from Frost & Sullivan has shown that the binding properties of emulsifiers can be used to improve the taste of food.
Cutting down on the amount of fat in food affects features such as viscosity and stability, but the use of emulsifiers can counter this. As such, they can be used as a fat replacement. Frost and Sullivan's research also found EU emulsifiers to be worth $574 million in 2006. They were predicted to become more valuable, hitting $911.3 million by 2013.
Synthetic emulsifiers were worth 74.6 per cent of the total amount, though consumers are believed to have a preference for foods that are perceived as "natural".
