The global demand for clean-label ingredients has more than 60% of Americans believing natural products are better for them, according to researchers at The Hartman Group. And more than half of Americans claim they are actively seeking “natural” ingredients when shopping for food products.

The “clean label” trend is increasing the reliance on natural gums and fibers for stability, functional properties, quality, and safety. In the process of researching them further, ingredient technologists and product developers are discovering that some of these ingredients are revealing new and highly valued nutritional attributes in a range of food products.