Everything I've read (not very much) about this subject suggests that an emulsifier is used to hold things together.
From one source:
I am not sure this is indeed the complete list of ingredients, especially because there is nothing inside to bind the pasta and prevent it from falling apart. Is it possible that Italian law allows producers to leave out ingredients if used in very small amounts? Many binders are added in sub-percent ratios. Besides, it doesn't say what was done to the corn. It could be in the form of modified starch, and you can never know what exactly they did to the starch to get it to glue together.
