January 10, 2025 – In the food and beverage industry, texturizing ingredients play a significant role by enhancing sensory appeal and providing the desired mouthfeel. It makes them essential for meeting consumer preferences for indulgence, variety, and elevated eating experiences. Innova’s 360 research into texturizing food ingredients trends highlights consumer preferences, market insights, product launches, and what might develop in the future.
Consumer Preferences
Over half of consumers prioritize value for money when consuming foods and beverages at home, followed by convenience and flavor and taste. Food ingredients also play an important role, as health benefits and nutritional content also hold strong appeal, reflecting a balanced consumer focus. 18% of younger consumers are slightly more interested in enjoyable textures. Texture, though ranked fifth among key taste drivers of enjoyment and pleasure in food, plays an important role in food ingredients. It plays a pivotal role in enhancing flavor richness, and while textures can also contribute to new taste discovery.
Beyond simple enjoyment, textures are also significant in creating indulgence. Richness of flavor is the top attribute of an indulgent food or drink, but food ingredients that contribute to textural elements, like crispy or crunchy textures and creamy textures, are significant. Emotional connections further underscore textural importance. For example, creamy, smooth, and soft tastes are favored when they want to feel indulged, comforted, or relaxed. Meanwhile, light and juicy textures are related to health and refreshment. Juicy, crispy, and crunchy textures are associated with energy and stimulation.
Around 1 in 4 consumers would accept the presence of stabilizers in their food and drink, while 1 in 6 would accept thickeners. Many consumers will accept texturizing ingredients in their food.
Texture Ingredients Global Product Launch Trends
Interestingly, 35% of all new food and beverage products launched in the past year contained one of the defined food ingredients used as texturizing ingredients. The launch rate of food and beverage with textured ingredients increased at 5% CAGR over the past five years. This rise highlights the growing recognition of texture as a vital element in enhancing eating and drinking experiences. North America leads in launches of food and beverages with texturizers, followed by Europe and Latin America.
The most active markets for food ingredients as texturizers include bakery, ready meals and side dishes, dairy, confectionery, and sauces and seasonings. Texturizers play a significant role in delivering quality eating experiences in these categories. Meat substitutes display the fastest growth in texturizer use, alongside ready meals and traditional meat products, indicating a shift toward more ultra-processed options that depend on texture for appeal. Beverages also emerge as a significant growth area, driven by innovation in adventurous formulations.
Starches and modified starches remain the most common food ingredient as texturizers. However, the highest growth comes from cellulosic and fermentation-derived ingredients, which have benefited most from rising activity in plant-based foods in recent years.
Starch Ingredients Trends
Starch ingredients have experienced a 5% rise in launches, with modified starch ingredients growing by 6% over the past five years. Modified starches display steadier growth compared to native starches.
Native starches tend to lead the way in overall use as food ingredients, led by corn and potato starches. However, distarch adipate acetylated displays the highest growth in global launches. Pea starch is also the best-performing native starch in launches. Notably, starch variety is not specified on the label; launches labeled simply with starch and with modified starch are growing at similar rates.
Food ingredient trends show that Australasia and Europe are the most important markets for native starches. Australasia leads in tapioca starch penetration, while Europe shows the significant use of potato and wheat starches. In Asia and LATAM, non-specific starch ingredients feature prominently on ingredient labels, reflecting diverse regional preferences.
Top categories incorporating starch ingredients include ready meals and side dishes, sauces and seasonings, and snacks. The fast growing plant-based meat and dairy are becoming increasingly important applications for starch, supporting texture and functionality in these innovative products.
Seaweed Extract Trends
Seaweed-derived texturizers have grown at a 4% CAGR over the past five years, slightly under-indexing compared to overall texture ingredients. Carrageenan is the top food ingredient in use within this category; however, alginates display better growth over the past five years.
Food ingredient trends indicate that carrageenan is leading in seaweed-derived texturizers in use throughout global new product development. But it is particularly significant in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa. Europe is over-indexing for alginates and Asia for agar use.
Desserts and ice cream, dairy, and bakery lead the way in global launches with food ingredients derived from seaweed-based texturizers over the past year. The rise of plant-based foods within new product development continues to benefit this ingredient category, with particularly strong growth in fish and seafood substitutes, poultry substitutes, and the non-dairy cheese category. There is also high demand for seaweed-derived texturizers in selected confectionery categories as well as in sandwich fillers, spreads, and dips.
Pectin and Citrus Fiber Ingredients Trends
Food ingredients like pectin remains a key texturizer, primarily used in fruit-based products like spreads and preparations, while citrus fiber offers broader benefits. With natural pectin for texture and the ability to enhance health profiles, citrus fiber is gaining attention in product development.
Citrus fiber launches have experienced a 15% CAGR growth over the past five years, outpacing pectin, which shows modest growth. Europe leads in the use of both ingredients, accounting for over half of all pectin launches and more than 70% of citrus fiber introductions, with Australasia also over-indexing for citrus fibers.
Food ingredients like pectin see strong growth in fruity beverages like flavored alcoholic drinks, iced teas, and energy drinks, citrus fiber expands its reach in savory applications and plant-based innovations, including meat-free and dairy-free products. This diversification highlights its growing appeal across categories.
Cellulosic Ingredients Trends
There has been a 7% CAGR growth in food ingredients like cellulosic texture ingredients globally over the past five years. Cellulosic texture ingredients show strong global growth, with a 7% CAGR over the past five years. Standard cellulose gums remain significant in this category, featuring in over half of all applications. Europe drives demand for artificial cellulosic ingredients, reflecting their diverse usage across multiple categories.
Food ingredient trends show that while bakery and dairy remain the primary applications for cellulosic texturizers, plant-based foods emerge as a significant growth area. Other expanding markets include vegetables, tea, sports protein-based drinks, and processed cheese. This versatility underscores the increasing importance of cellulosic ingredients in enhancing texture across traditional and innovative food categories.
Fermentation-Derived Gums Trends
Food ingredients derived from fermentation-based texture ingredients show 6% growth in global launches over the past year, over-indexing overall texturizer launch growth. This perhaps benefiting from price stability and uniformity of supply compared with natural tree and seed gums.
Food ingredient trends show that xanthan gum leads this category, featuring in 90% of product launches with fermentation-derived gums. However, gellan gum stands out with a 9% CAGR growth rate over the past five years. While xanthan gum leads globally, gellan gum sees its highest penetration in Europe and the Middle East and Africa. It is far less likely to be used in Australasia and North America.
Sauces, seasonings, and bakery products represent the most important areas of new product development using xanthan and gellan gums. The fastest growth comes from plant-based markets, such as meat substitutes and non-dairy cheeses, where these gums help replicate authentic meat and dairy textures.
What’s Next in the Global Texturizing Ingredients Trends?
Post-Covid, more consumers choose to socialize at home, seeking cost-effective food and drink options that provide indulgence. Brands can elevate this experience by introducing complex and adventurous textures that enhance mouthfeel and boost the enjoyment of the eating experience.
Growing health concerns over ultra-processed foods drive demand for shorter food ingredient lists with natural texturizers like starch, pectin, and citrus fiber. At the same time, innovators can focus on improving sustainability, offering lighter, energy-efficient ingredients and certified eco-friendly practices.
By aligning with these food ingredient trends, brands can create clean-label solutions that not only enhance product appeal but also support manufacturers in reducing carbon footprints. As consumer preferences evolve, texturizers are likely to become key to balancing indulgence, health, and sustainability.
This article is based on Innova’s Now & Next in the Use of Texturizing Ingredients – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
