These were meals they would never dream of eating themselves, full of methyl cellulose and emulsifiers that might well poison their customers.

ECONOMIST: Santi Santamar��a

As his chemists laboured to find the best emulsifiers and flavourings, the world's first non-dairy topping, Delsoy, was creeping from rival nozzles elsewhere in the state.

ECONOMIST: Robert Rich

But by specialising in emulsifiers, enzymes and flavours, rather than such bulk ingredients as flour and milk, Danisco controls the ingredients that are critical in helping manufacturers to distinguish their products from rival ones.

ECONOMIST: Danisco: Cluster buster | The