Gelatin has varied applications in the food industry, mainly as an enhancer to add elasticity, consistency and stability to food products. Gelatin is also used as a stabilizer mainly in the dairy products. It is usually available in granular powder form, although in some European countries, sheet gelatin is still available. In the food industry, water or aqueous polyhydric alcohols of gelatin are used in candy, marshmallow and dessert preparations. Further, in dairy products and frozen foods, gelatin is used as a colloid to prevent crystallization of ice and sugar. It is also used as an emulsifier and extender in the production of reduced-fat margarine products.
The growth of the market for food gelatin is driven by the end-use industries, such as confectionary, nutritional drinks and bakery. Another factor that influences the food gelatin products demand is the increasing appetite for functional foods, derived from natural sources. Although the market is growing, it is facing different challenges that include low acceptance from strict vegetarians and religious groups such as Muslims, Hindus and Jews. In addition, there is a rising concern among researchers about whether animal tissue-gelatins can transmit pathogenic vectors such as prions. Moreover, raw material availability for bovine gelatin production is an issue in places like South America, where there is a strong demand from the global leather industries, an alternative end-markets for the same raw material.
Market Segmentation
The market for gelatin is segmented into source, type and application. Food & beverages account for about 31% of the global gelatin demand. Almost 46% of the world's gelatin is sourced from pig skin, followed by bovine hides (29.4%), bones (23.1 %) and other sources such as fish skin (1.5%). Further, the gelatin sourced from fish and poultry is among the trendy ones and are mostly processed to satisfy the demand of specific religious consumer groups.
Gelatin, based on type, is classified into type A and B., where type A gelatin is used in confectionary and type B in dairy products. The type A gelatin is used as food grade gelatin. There is a growing demand of gelatin in sports drinks, owing to its high protein and low-fat content. Furthermore, the application of gelatin in this segment is projected to accelerate at a high pace.
Europe leads the global food gelatin market, owing to the high demand in food & beverages applications. The European region accounts for over 40% of the food gelatin market. A major demand is witnessed from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy, due to the growing food industry. Further, Asia-Pacific has the fastest growing market whereas North America and Europe food gelatin market have saturated and are expected to witness minimum growth, during the forecast period. In Asia-Pacific region, consumers are preferring high protein products, thus, boosting the gelatin market growth. Apart from this, the growth of the poultry market and the increasing number of slaughter houses and marine products manufacturers have offered growth opportunities for food gelatin manufacturers.
Some of the major players capturing food gelatin market include –
Weishardt Group
Rousselot
PB Gelatin
Gelita AG
Recent Industry Insight
Duck feet: The next alternative gelatin source for confectionary
Gelita to expand Sioux City plant and create new jobs
Future Spotlight
Donkey skin, a new source for gelatin, has an increasing demand in China. The donkey meat is consumed widely in the Northern Chinese provinces of Shandong, Anhui, Hebei, Shanxi and Shaanxi, due to the regular supply of donkey skin, in the region. The manufacturers are using gelatin derived from donkey skin in the food applications, as the quality of gelatin so extracted is high, and the properties that lack in skins of other animals. Apart from this, a new market for halal and kosher gelatin, derived from bovine bone, bovine dry bone chip, bovine skin and fish skin, is accelerating.
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