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As food manufacturers launch a dizzying array of products addressing consumer demand for health and wellness, few characteristics are as valuable in increasing their chance of success in the market as texture.

The attribute impacts everything from the food’s appearance and mouthfeel to how it tastes and its overall likeability. 

Ingredion has a proprietary dictionary and methodology of measuring texture using 274 terms or attributes, such as spongy, sticky, gooey, firm, chewy, juicy, flaky and creamy. 

“Texture is very complimentary to a lot of the healthy things,” Rob Ritchie, senior vice president for food and industrial ingredients at Ingredion, said in an interview. “We think there’s untapped market there that we’re going to continue to grow upon.”

As companies introduce healthier products, or reformulate existing ones on the market, texture is one of the most important measures to consider, according to the company.

Texture can impact how quickly people eat, how full they feel, how they perceive the food’s nutritional value and their overall satisfaction. Ingredion found more than 50% of consumers would reject a food product if they didn’t like the texture.

A rise in demand for clean-label and healthy foods has companies looking to change or slim down their ingredient lists. But the removal of some ingredients from food, without replacing the textural qualities they provide, can make products less appealing or even inedible, Ingredion noted.

“As you go down that journey of reformulation or new brand launches, we believe texture plays a huge role, almost as much as flavor in that consumer decision,” Ritchie said.

Sauces and savory items, for example, often have high calorie counts. Reducing or eliminating fat in a dressing can result in a less creamy and indulgent product. Ingredion’s portfolio has clean-label texturizers that maintain the desired creaminess and indulgence without the high-fat content.

In baked goods, using resistant starches — those that are not easily broken down by enzymes in the body and minimally absorbed during digestion — can help achieve a healthier offering while still preserving the texture of traditional high-carb items such as bread, bagels, or muffins.

In 2024, Ingredion reorganized its business to sharpen its global focus on texture and healthful solutions. This shift allowed Ingredion to more effectively outline texture options for its customers and highlight the expertise it had built through investments in technology, consumer insights, and sensory data.