It's good for the gut, good for the immune system, and great at keeping the hunger pangs at bay. What's more, consumers are finally cottoning on to the fact that they are not getting enough. Whether it's derived from corn, apples, sugar beet, peas, oats, larch, barley or chicory, fibre is the hottest ingredient in town.

As pressure to reduce the use of sugar, fat, salt and artificial colours and flavours increases, a host of exhibitors at FiE is offering creative solutions without compromising on taste, texture or appearance. Leading the way is Cargill with its extensive range of sweeteners and texturisers. Top of its bill is its patent pending TexDesign, a new fat replacement system that can help manufacturers reduce fat in baked goods by up to 50%.

Five years ago, few marketers would wax lyrical about protein on the front of their packs unless they were talking to bodybuilders or serious athletes. Today, they are shouting about it from the roof tops. New forms of vegetable protein represent a particularly fertile area of opportunity given that animal protein is becoming increasingly expensive and environmentally costly. Quite apart from this, more user-friendly products are now coming on to the market and clinical studies have revealed a broader range of nutritional benefits.

Whether they boost satiety, speed up metabolism, inhibit protein breakdown or block fat absorption, weight management ingredients are great at grabbing the limelight. But how many will provide a return on investment for manufacturers desperate to grab a slice of the functional foods market?

The big guns in essential fatty acids will be out in force at FiE. First in the queue to raise the healthy lipid stakes is Kievit, which will be promoting its broad range of encapsulated oils and fats, along with Cognis, which will be showcasing its Omevital high purity omega-3 fish oils, and Lipid Nutrition, which will be highlighting its Marinol fish oil concentrates, which have a clean taste and smell and high stability.

Antioxidants can help reduce the risk of diseases associated with oxidative stress: from heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis and Parkinson's to Alzheimer's. And few fruits are packed with as many of these free-radical busters as the humble cranberry. Despite rising prices, cranberries remain the superfruit of choice, and are known to be effective in tackling everything from urinary tract infections to gum disease, helicobacter and pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella.