Despite being the topmost choice, people demand a good experience as well as quality from processed food. Stabilisers aid to fulfil this requirement in food. Primarily extracted from natural substances, stabilisers are agents that are approved as direct additives combined into foods to provide stability and thickness and to help the food to stay in an emulsion and hold physical characteristics. Many low-fat foods have relied on stabilisers. Some of these stabilisers are carrageenan, pectin, agar-agar, and lecithin.
The benefits associated with food stabilisers have augmented the usage of food stabilisers, in a broad range of food products such as dairy products, bakery, confectionery, beverage & convenience food, sauce, and others. In addition to this, the emergence of convenience and organic food and Westernised food habits have further propelled the demand for food stabilisers. Moreover, the market has been through several advancements and modifications in the past few years. The market players have adopted different strategies and trends to expand the market. In addition, an array of activities are taking place in the market. And this article aims to present a few of those recent happenings.
The newly found success in Locust Bean Gum has increased its demand-
Locust Bean Gum (LBG) has been one of the most common plant-based stabilisers that support clean label properties. The food and beverage industry uses it as a thickening and stabilising agent. Along with this, its ability to bind with water makes it a predominant choice for frozen applications including ice cream. Being a natural plant-based stabiliser, LBG has already been in demand. However, according to an American flavour, fragrances, and cosmetic actives provider, LBG also helps in restoring carbon to the ground, minimises soil erosion, and does not require a lot of fertiliser or irrigation. These facts prove that LBG is also a sustainable product to rely upon.
This has led to skyrocketing demand for locust bean gums resulting in a shortage of this popular ingredient in the market. On this, the global business manager of the company stated that the volume is still not enough to satisfy the demand and the shortage has hindered the rollout. However, the manufacturers are still working on producing foodstuffs using LBG in the future.
People are highly switching towards natural and clean ingredients owing to the concerns related to health effects. The market players, on the other hand, are highly focussing on bringing demand-based clean and natural food additives. And some of the companies are now showing up with successful results.
Vegan collagen to hit the food and beverages industry-
Recently, Geltor, a bio-design company has debuted PrimaColl, the first vegan collagen for the food and beverages industry. The process followed microbial fermentation and is suitable for all varieties of diets. Furthermore, PrimaColl has higher potency and lower volume than animal-derived collagen. Also, it doesn’t contain components found in animal collagen that complicates formulation and affect solubility. Moreover, the California-based headquarter is producing PrimaColl in association with Lonza Specialty Ingredients based in Switzerland. Nevertheless, the company aims to meet the demand for animal-free products such as gelatin.
In the past few years, food stabilisers have been redirected to be obtained from natural sources. This is unlocking huge prospects for the industry as well as the consumer. The food stabiliser industry is expected to elevate in the coming years. According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global food stabiliser market is estimated to garner $10.10 billion by 2023.
The advent of convenience food is the major reason driving the demand for food stabilisers. In addition to this, the influence of modernising food consumption and disposable income are other key aspects that contribute to the growth of the market. However, the fact that a huge rate of consumers is preferring fresh food owing to certain health concerns hinders the market to a certain extent. Also, the government regulations for the utilisation and quantity of stabilisers in food create a challenge for the market players. But despite that, the industry is witnessing progress. The demand for food stabilisers for dairy and confectionery industries is highly increasing. At the same time, the emergence of plant-based substitutes is increasing the adoption of food stabilisers. The market players are funding for further research and development processes to invent new and animal-free food stabilisers to meet the demand from consumers.
The new initiatives and investments in the market are unlocking numerous prospects for the market players. The positive resulting outcomes of research and development further leads to widening the prospects for the food and beverages industry. Simultaneously, all these factors are supporting the market growth and with further advancements, the industry is expected to grow even more in approaching years.
(The author is working as a content writer with Allied Market Research)