As a favorable substitute for sucrose, market demand for fructose syrup continues to rise

Fructose syrup is a type of starch sugar that appears as a transparent viscous liquid and is an important sweetener. Fructose syrup is a starch syrup made by hydrolyzing plant starch and is composed of fructose and glucose. The sweetness of fructose syrup is similar to that of sucrose, but it has better flavor and better taste. It is a good substitute for sucrose.

According to the “China Fructose Syrup Industry Application Market Demand and Development Opportunities Research Report 2021-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center, Fructose syrup is mainly used in the fields of food, beverages and candies. It can shorten the candied time in the production of candied fruits and preserved fruits, so its application demand is high. In recent years, my country’s beverage, candy and other industries have maintained stable development, but downstream products have higher requirements for health, flavor and taste. Therefore, the demand for high-fructose syrup applications continues to grow, and output increases accordingly. In 2019, my country’s fructose syrup production was approximately 5.4 million tons, exceeding 6 million tons by 2020, and is expected to reach more than 6.8 million tons by 2021.

For a long time, the production and consumption of sweeteners in my country has been dominated by sucrose, supplemented by starch sugar. However, in recent years, with the decline in sucrose production and residents’ high requirements for sugary foods, the demand for starch sugar applications has continued to rise. In 2020, my country’s starch sugar production has reached more than 15 million tons. As a type of starch sugar, fructose syrup has also increased its production and demand.

In terms of production, after a long period of development, the technology of my country’s fructose syrup industry has gradually matured, and the equipment has gradually become more professional. At the same time, the technology has been improved, production efficiency has continued to improve, and product quality has been greatly improved, which is conducive to the development of the fructose syrup industry.

Fructose syrup is a liquid product and has high transportation requirements, resulting in high transportation costs and limited transportation radius. Therefore, the current production capacity of fructose syrup in my country is relatively scattered. Most companies only sell within the transportation radius, and there are few companies whose business scope can cover the whole country. At present, the main domestic high fructose syrup manufacturers include Cargill Food Technology, COFCO Rongshi Biotech, Tianzi Co., Ltd., Huakang Pharmaceutical, Baolingbao Biotech, etc.

As a domestic biopolysaccharide manufacturer, Baolingbao Biotech is one of the major manufacturers of fructose syrup. In 2020, it achieved total operating revenue of 2.06 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.9%, of which fructose syrup accounted for approximately 19.4%. Huakang Pharmaceutical mainly develops and produces functional sugar alcohols and starch sugar products. In 2020, the company’s revenue was approximately 1.32 billion yuan.

Industry analysts said that fructose syrup, as a starch sugar, is a favorable substitute for sucrose in food, beverages and candies. The application demand in other industries is high. Benefiting from the development of high-end and healthy food in recent years, the demand for fructose syrup applications continues to grow, and the industry has developed steadily. In the domestic market, fructose syrup production capacity is scattered, but the market concentration is high, and a competitive pattern among leading companies has been formed.