Cargill and Fiberstar push emulsifiers beyond E471 and gum arabic

Emulsifiers are being asked to do more as food and beverage manufacturers simplify their ingredient lists, according to ingredient suppliers. They report that bakers want alternatives to conventional systems such as E471, as beverage developers are looking for substitutes for gum arabic, while formulators increasingly expect one ingredient to stabilize and texturize.

Food Ingredients First speaks with Cargill and Fiberstar about the companies’ latest emulsifier reformulation efforts and innovations.

Reformulating for cost savings

Rajiv Mehta, director of business development for Cargill Food EMEA, says the company’s recent focus has been on replacing established emulsifier systems in baked goods.

“Our teams have developed formulations using de-oiled lecithin to replace emulsifier systems such as E471 in products like brioche and pound cake, while also helping improve cost efficiency by up to 33% depending on application,” he says.

Mehta also notes that cost savings come from how a product is formulated or reformulated, and not from differences in raw ingredient prices.

Gum arabic supply chain pressure

According to Dr. Brock Lundberg, chief science officer at Fiberstar, gum arabic is facing supply chain problems, leading beverage companies and flavor houses to step up research into alternatives. He points out that modified food starch is one option, but notes that it runs against consumer demand for cleaner beverage labels.

“Due to this high interest, Fiberstar launched the new Citri-Fi Pro line, which provides high emulsification power at significantly low usage levels,” says Lundberg. “As a result, this new citrus fiber can partially replace gum arabic while offering significant cost-in-use savings.”

Lundberg adds that label declarations such as citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp, or citrus flour can also improve how clean a beverage label looks to consumers.

“In the case of citrus fibers, their holistic composition of insoluble and soluble [fiber] in the form of native intact pectin, helps them perform in a wide range of conditions where other clean label ingredients would tend to become unstable,” he explains.

“Using citrus fibers opens up opportunities in beverage applications requiring high stability that would otherwise be impossible.”

Multifunctional and targeted

Mehta says that Cargill sees demand for both multifunctional and targeted emulsifiers, depending on the application. In mainstream categories, such as bakery and confectionery, he highlights a growing interest in multifunctional systems that simplify formulations, shorten ingredient declarations, and improve operational efficiency.

However, he stresses that manufacturers are weighing cost pressures against consumer demand for recognizable ingredients.

“At the same time, some applications still require highly targeted functionality,” says Mehta. “In products with very specific texture, aeration, or shelf life requirements, manufacturers may prefer specialized systems that are optimized for a single technical outcome.”

Upcycled innovations

Meanwhile, Jennifer Stephens, Fiberstar’s VP of marketing, sees upcycled ingredients as a major source of future innovation.

She explains that many plants have several functional properties once processed, and that citrus fiber’s intact fiber composition gives it high water-holding and emulsification capacity.

“This one upcycled ingredient has the potential to replace multiple ingredients, such as stabilizers and emulsifiers, in a formulation depending on the food product. Tapping into other plant-based materials is another huge opportunity for the market to create more natural and less processed foods,” she concludes.