Guar Gum – Food Stabilizers Market, Analysis, Forecast, Growth Impact and Demand
Food stabilizers are additives that help maintain the food structure. They help in preventing the various components in the food from separating into individual molecules which leads to degradation and losses in flavor. For a while now, the guar gum has emerged as leading among the preferred food stabilizers due to its unique properties.
The global market for food stabilizers has been growing exponentially since the year 2015. This is due to the continued increase in demand for convenience foods as well as food with organic origin. Increasing adoption of the western culture and food intake patterns has also influenced the demand for the food stabilizers.
Improved Standards Of Living There has also been increasing levels of revenue and incomes across the world which have led to higher disposable incomes and people are able to afford prepared foods rather than cooking their own foods. The dairy industry forms a sizeable percentage of convenience foods. Products in the dairy industry that use stabilizers include milk cream, cheese, yoghurts and many others. The stabilizers are also used in the milk pasteurization process as they can withstand the process conditions. Another important characteristic of stabilizers is prevention of ice crystals formation in foods. In dairy, stabilizers also help increase the shelf life of the milk products.
Market Segmentation Food stabilizers market is segmented depending on various factors. The stabilizer characteristics are the basis of classification for stabilizers. These include;
- Texture
- Level of moisture retention
- Taste and mouth feel
- Egg replacement
Texture is the major determinant on the usage of the food stabilizers. The guar gum is among the preferred food stabilizers due to its texturizing effect and better performance compared to other food stabilizers.
The guar gum also acts as a food thickener that is more powerful than other products in the same category. Another advantage of the guar gum is the ability to form gels without requiring the presence of heat.
Global Demand The demand for the guar gum varies in various regions. According to industry analysis, the continent of Europe dominates the market for food stabilizers. Research has shown that the EU has up to 40% market share for the stabilizers. Closely following in demand level is the North American region where there has been a shift in consumer preference to processed foods and consequently greater demand for the guar gum powder as a food stabilizer.
The Asia and pacific region is also a strong emerging market for the food stabilizers. Positive growth is expected in the period of 2017 – 2013 due increased economic prosperity in the regions. The countries of the Asia pacific include China, India, Japan, Australia, Korea and other smaller states.
Bottom Line Up to the year 2020, the food stabilizers market is expected to grow by over 5%. The market is estimated to be valued at over 9.1 billion by the year 2020. Texture is the most sought function of food stabilizers and accounts for the biggest market share. Guar gum has emerged as a very important food stabilizer due to these unique texturizing and modifying characteristics.