Food Thickeners Market Size

Global Food Thickeners Market size was valued at USD 16.7 billion in 2023 and is poised to grow from USD 17.7 billion in 2024 to USD 28.21 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period (2025-2032). 

A growing market for convenience food is driving this global food thickeners market. With rising busy lifestyles, consumers prefer a lot of convenient meals, ready-to-eat snacks, and packaged foods, which creates high demand. Foods manufacturers, because of this demand, add thickeners to products to make it more palatable, stable in texture, and sensory appealing to the consumer's senses. Thickeners assist in maintaining soups' sauces' gravies' thickness, creating an acceptable mouthfeel without needing labor-intensive preparation. This trend away from more demanding, unprepared foods is helping drive the larger use of food thickeners in many markets.

The growing awareness of health and wellness is another critical factor fueling the food thickeners market. As the consumers maintain a healthier dietary practice, demand arises for these food products meeting the nutritional need for low calorie, gluten free, and other plant-based requirement, such as the functional ingredients used in a thickening characteristic with guar gum, xanthan gum, and agar-agar. This demand for healthier, more natural ingredients has prompted food manufacturers to explore thickeners that offer both sensory qualities and health benefits, driving the market’s expansion.

How can AI Improve the Texture and Stability of Food Products with Thickeners?

AI is having a direct influence on the global food thickeners market by streamlining the formulation and manufacturing of thickeners by means of high-level data analysis and predictive modeling. AI helps food manufacturers evaluate consumer tastes, dietary trends, and ingredient functionality, enabling the creation of healthier and more efficient food thickening solutions. For example, AI can determine the optimal combinations of natural thickeners for certain food items, enhancing texture and stability and responding to consumer trends for healthier food choices. AI-driven automation also increases the efficiency of food manufacturing, lowering costs and improving access to new food thickener products.

In February 2024, Ingredion Incorporated introduced NOVATION Indulge 2940 starch, a non-GMO functional native corn starch designed to enhance texture in dairy and dessert applications. This innovation caters to the growing consumer demand for clean-label ingredients and supports the trend towards healthier, plant-based food options.

What role does R&D Play in the Development of Natural, Plant-Based Thickeners by Startups?

The international food thickeners industry is seeing increased start-ups building novel, eco-friendly, and natural thickening options. They are addressing consumer pressure for rising demand for clean-label, plant-based, and healthy ingredients. The start-ups invest in R&D to add functionality, stability, and sustainability to food thickeners to provide novel options to food makers that cater to diverse dietary trends and sustainability imperatives.

Founded in 2022, Gumix Innovations is a natural, plant-based thickener startup company that is natural and plant-based. The company has its flagship product, Gumix XG, that is derived from seaweed and is a vegan and gluten-free thickener applied to dairy substitutes as well as sauces. The firm has developed some key advances in R&D, improving the product's performance in different temperatures. This innovation allows Gumix XG to be able to retain stable viscosity in various culinary uses as food companies respond to increasing demand for sustainable, allergen-free ingredients.

Established in the year 2021, ThiccoTech Foods creates clean-label, sustainable thickeners from plant-based ingredients. Its flagship product, ThiccoTex, is an organic tapioca-based thickener that adds texture and consistency to low-fat, low-sugar products. The company's innovation breakthrough is the creation of ThiccoTex's heat-stable functionality, enabling it to excel in high-heat cooking applications. This innovation creates new possibilities for ready-to-eat meals and processed food uses, responding to the increasing consumer need for clean and green ingredients.