Edible Films and Coating Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Edible Films and Coating Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The edible films and coating market was valued at USD 2,659.59 million in 2020, and it is projected to witness a CAGR of 7.64% during the forecast period, 2022-2027.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the generation of opportunities for many private players to emerge in the markets in order to cater to the inflated demand for food products. This, in turn, benefitted the manufacturers of food ingredients, including coatings. The need for innovative snack products was consistently high in developed countries due to the associated convenience of storage, usage, and rapid provision of nutrition and energy on consumption. Thus, such factors are driving the market forward in these turbulent times. An increase in the sales of fruits and vegetables was recorded during the lockdown in 2020, as there was a demand for nutritious food. Therefore, this sustained the applications of edible films and coatings.

The edible coating is an eco-friendly technology that is applied to many products to control moisture transfer, gas exchange, or oxidation processes. One major advantage of using edible films and coatings is that several active ingredients can be incorporated into the polymer matrix and consumed with food, thus, enhancing safety or even nutritional and sensory attributes.

The food product manufacturers have increased their efforts to increase the shelf life and to improve the existent packaging technology, in turn ensuring the microbial safety and preservation of food from the influence of external factors. Thus, new product innovations from manufacturers are expected to contribute to the market growth of the edible films and coatings market.

Traditional food packaging materials proclaim several shortcomings in terms of the impact of environmental pollution and the manufacturing requirements for non-renewable resources. The need for alternative packaging materials and packaging formats has increased at a significant level. Issues pertaining to sustainability, environment, ethics, food safety, food quality, and product costs are all becoming increasingly important factors for modern-day consumers at the time of purchasing food products, and a number of these issues are enforced by food packaging legislative regulations. All these factors have largely contributed to the rising demand for edible films and coatings in the food packaging industry. These edible films are extracted from natural and organic products. For instance, wheat gluten, whey protein, corn zein, waxes, cellulose derivatives, and pectins are some of the edible films which are manufactured using fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables.

China and Japan are the major consumers of the edible films and coatings market in the region. In China, xanthan gum is one of the most commonly used edible coatings in food products, giving rise to the high demand for polysaccharide-based films and coatings. However, research to discover other sources of edible coatings is being conducted in the region, which is expected to result in extending the shelf life and prolonging the freshness of products. For instance, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry, researchers investigated several natural antimicrobials, such as Star Anise Essential Oil (SAEO), as a primary component in edible coating products. The encapsulated SAEO reduced the weight loss of the samples by more than 30% and increased the inhibitory effect of SAEO on the browning of yam used as a sample. This method proved to be highly efficient in protecting fresh-produced fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the rising awareness in countries like India is projected to lead to a very promising market scenario in the forecast period.

The major players operating in the edible films and coatings market include Dow DuPont, Tate & Lyle, Dohler Group, Nagase Co. Ltd, Sumimoto Chemicals Co, and Ingredion Incorporated. The edible film and coatings is a growing market within the packaging segment, where the demand is expected to upscale as consumers seek such options from their regular consumables. The market is poised to witness more innovations over the coming years, and the industry may expect mergers and acquisitions. New brands have emerged recently and have gained significant traction based on their offerings.

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