Product Profile: Food Emulsifiers

HS Codes: 210690, 382490, 330210, 292320

• The global food emulsifiers market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% over the period of 2019-2024.
• Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market for food emulsifiers over the next five years.
• Rising demand for healthy and organic food products is expected to drive growth in food emulsifiers globally and in India in the next few years.
• India is a net exporter of food emulsifiers with the Netherlands as the major export market.

The urge to meet safety standards and quality of food, transportation from farm to plate and storage are major challenges faced by the developed world. To cater to this demand, food emulsifiers are popularly utilised by manufacturers. Furthermore, rising population, burgeoning incomes and affordability of middle-class consumers are driving an increase in demand for food, and in turn, for emulsifiers.

The value of the global food emulsifier market was estimated at US$ 3.46 billion in 2018 (as per Mordor Intelligence), and it is projected to grow a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period (2019-2024). There is an escalating demand for speciality food ingredients like emulsifiers in various applications, due to functional properties, such as aerating, protein strengthening and starch complexing. Additionally, with the surging demand for high transparency and quality control on the ingredients used in consumers’ food, the market for clean-label food ingredients is expected to drive the market for food additives, such as emulsifiers.

Focus-Asia PacificThe value of the global food emulsifier market was estimated at US$ 3.46 billion in 2018 (as per Mordor Intelligence), and it is projected to grow a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period (2019-2024). There is an escalating demand for specialty food ingredients like emulsifiers in various applications, due to functional properties, such as aerating, protein strengthening and starch complexing. Additionally, with the surging demand for high transparency and quality control on the ingredients used in consumers’ food, the market for clean-label food ingredients is expected to drive the market for food additives, such as emulsifiers.

The Asia Pacific food emulsifier market is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate, touching 7% (according to Business Wire) for the next five years. The robust growth is mainly due to upcoming new food consumption patterns in the region, owing to the surging income and rapid urbanization, especially in South Asian countries. Further growth can be attributed to the increasing urbanization in the region, resulting in the growing demand for food security and quality food. Food manufacturers are expected to use food emulsifiers due to their multi-functional properties.

Increasing demand for salubrious and organic food items over junk foods is projected to provide an impetus to the market for food emulsifiers globally, and in India in the coming years. Colorants and emulsifiers garnered a share of 15.4%, in the India food additives market (APEDA). Rising penetration of ready-to-eat food and budding demand for low-calorie sweeteners in the country is projected to drive growth in the food additives sector in India for at least a decade. The major demand for emulsifiers in India comes from the beverage industry, followed by bakery & confectionery, dairy, meat, poultry and seafood industries.

Some of the food emulsifiers approved and allowed by USFDA along with their usage are as follows:

I. Acacia (gum arabic) – Frozen dessert/food dressings and flavorings
II. Bakers Yeast Glycan – In frozen dessert analogs, sour cream analogs, cheese spread analogs, and in cheese-flavored and sour cream-flavored snack dips
III. Ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides – Edible fat-water emulsions such as coffee creamer substitute, in cakes and mix
IV. Salts of Fatty Acids – Cakes and desserts
V. Gum ghatti – Non-alcoholic beverages
VI. Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids – Food or as cloud inhibitors in veg & salad oils
VII. Sodium stearoyl lactylate – Puddings, snack dips and cheese
VIII. Sucrose fatty acid esters – Coffee, tea, beverages and seafood

India is a net exporter of lecithin and other phosphoaminolipids, which are used as food emulsifiers, where our exports in 2018 stood at US$ 74.7 million and imports stood at US$ 31 million. India’s major export destination of this product is the Netherlands, as 35% of our exports are accounted for by this market.

Global exports of lecithin and other phosphoaminolipids grew at a CAGR of 5.22%, surging from US$ 782.5 million in 2014 to US$ 933 million in 2018; signaling a continuous rise in the demand for food emulsifiers.