Driven by downstream market demand, my country’s citric acid production is gradually increasing

Citric acid, also known as citric acid, appears as a colorless crystal with a strong sour taste. It is often used as a food additive and acidity regulator. According to different water contents, citric acid can be roughly divided into citric acid monohydrate, anhydrous citric acid, etc.; according to different processing methods, citric acid can be roughly divided into synthetic citric acid, natural citric acid, etc. Among them, synthetic citric acid is mostly made from the fermentation of starch, sugar, molasses, grapes and other sugar-containing substances; natural citric acid is mostly found in pineapples, lemons, citrus, and other plant fruits and the blood and muscles of animals.

With the gradual advancement of production technology, the production methods of citric acid have gradually matured and can be roughly divided into chemical synthesis methods, fruit extraction methods, biological fermentation methods, etc. At present, the production method of citric acid in my country is mainly biological fermentation, and cassava, corn, sweet potato and other products are mainly used for the production of citric acid. Among them, corn has become the main raw material for the production of citric acid. As my country’s corn output continues to grow, it provides a rich raw material base for the continuous development of the citric acid market.

From the downstream of the citric acid industry chain, citric acid is mainly used in medicine, food, beverages, daily chemicals, feed, industry and other fields. Currently, the beverage field accounts for the largest share of the overall market, accounting for 31.27%; followed by the daily chemicals field, accounting for 22.59%; ranking third is food and other fields, accounting for 16.29%.

In recent years, my country’s economy has developed rapidly, residents’ income levels have gradually increased, their consumption power has continued to increase, and their requirements for quality of life have gradually increased. As a product that improves the quality of life, the market for beverages has developed rapidly. As my country’s beverage production technology gradually advances, product types become increasingly rich and market penetration rate gradually increases. Against this background, the scale of beverage venues in our country has gradually expanded. In 2022, my country’s beverage market size will be 1.24779 billion yuan. As an important raw material for the production of beverages, citric acid’s market has experienced certain fluctuations.

According to the “China Citric Acid Industry Development Status and Investment Prospects Analysis Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center, in addition to In addition to its use in the beverage field, citric acid is also widely used in food, daily chemicals, feed, medicine and other fields. With its superior decontamination properties, citric acid has a growing market demand in washing and daily chemicals. Moreover, with the continuous development of the pharmaceutical market, citric acid has become more widely used in the pharmaceutical field, and market demand has further increased. Against this background, my country’s citric acid production has gradually increased. In 2022, my country’s citric acid production will be 1.472 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.51%.

Industry analysts said that at this stage, my country’s citric acid market is highly concentrated, and leading companies have emerged. The largest citric acid companies in my country mainly include Lemon Biochemical, Tahoe Biochemical, Yingxuan Industrial, Xielian Biotech, Jinhe Biochemical, COFCO Biochemical, etc. Among them, Yingxuan Industrial has a high market share and has become a leading company in the industry by virtue of its advanced production technology. As my country’s citric acid companies continue to adjust their industrial structure, production technology is gradually optimized, and backward industries are gradually eliminated, its market concentration is expected to further increase in the future.