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Consumer awareness and transparency key factors in shift to natural-based emulsifiers

The demand for natural-based emulsifiers in the food industry is surging as health concerns over the use of synthetic emulsifiers have consumers looking for alternatives.

The shift is especially notable among consumers who have expressed a preference towards emulsifiers they consider to be more natural and clean label – such as candelilla wax, guar gum, and agar agar – over synthetic emulsifiers like mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids or modified starch. The emergence of start-ups like Oceanium has widened the choice for these health-conscious consumers, eager to buy into the benefits of a healthy lifestyle whilst also contributing to a sustainable value chain.

The Scottish-based firm recently unveiled a clean-label seaweed-based emulsifier intended for use in plant-based meats that its founders say could be used for gluten-free breads and beverages.

“Ocean Health Fiber is a unique product with great functionality due to its natural combination of insoluble and soluble polysaccharides,” said Dr Iain Moore, Food Scientist at Oceanium.

“This gives it a significant thickening effect at both low and high temperatures, similar to methylcellulose. It is also a very effective water binder which can increase the moistness of breads, particularly in gluten-free recipes.”

Awareness, transparency, and sustainability converge to drive natural emulsifier R&D

Emulsifiers are a mainstay of the food industry, improving the texture, shelf life, and mouthfeel of products such as dressings, ice creams, sauces, and baked goods.

Synthetic emulsifiers are traditionally derived from petroleum-based or chemically processed sources.

The concern now is that unlike synthetic emulsifiers, natural emulsifiers are generally considered less likely to disrupt the body’s natural processes and pose fewer risks of adverse health impacts.

Natural plant-based emulsification technologies have emerged that make it possible for food manufacturers to achieve the functional qualities of synthetic emulsifiers using natural ingredients.

Israeli’s InnovoPro recently made available its CP-Pro 70 concentrate, a clean-label, chickpea protein-powered solution that bind both water and fat and which remains stable during shelf-life.

Likewise, Danish ingredient manufacturer Palsgaard and its range of whipping-active emulsifiers use polyglycerol esters (PGEs) from fatty acids to supply aeration and improve stability.

According to Frost and Sullivan’s Akheela Dhiman, functional fibres in particular have been a recent focus by manufacturers, such as Givaudan and Fiberstar, with a key emphasis on multiple functional properties across end applications.

Emulsifiers’ links to chronic disease and gut health

The implications on health were further underlined by a recent study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology which looked at food additive emulsifiers and risk of type 2 diabetes.

But while the French team suggested a direct association between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposures to various food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods, others remained cautious of the findings.

“In summary, the study is, by design, unable to provide reliable information about the effect of emulsifiers on health, and it does not claim to do so,” said Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Reading

“Notably, other studies have shown that foods that contain emulsifiers – such as yoghurts – are associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.”

The International Food Additives Council’s (IFAC) position on dietary emulsifiers

More recently, emulsifiers and their effect on health took a more serious turn as a spate of studies suggested a link to cancer.

Published in PLoS Medicine, researchers made an association between higher intakes of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (FAs) (E471), total carrageenans (E407, E407a), and carrageenan (E407) and a higher risk of overall, breast, and/or prostate cancers.

“While these findings need to be replicated in other studies worldwide, they bring new key knowledge to the debate on re-evaluating the regulations around the use of additives in the food industry, in order to better protect consumers,” said study authors, Mathilde Touvier, research director at INSERM and Bernard Srour, junior professor at INRAE.

Naturally, as scientific evidence mounts up the food industry have responded in kind. The International Food Additives Council (IFAC) pointed to “overwhelming” scientific evidence that supported the safety of these ingredients.

Referencing a landmark review, the global association reiterated that the researchers found “consumption of foods containing dietary emulsifiers did not pose any safety concerns and that their history of safe use was not brought into question by the existing scientific literature.”