China Freeze-Dried Food Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

China freeze-dried food market. is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 5.14% during the forecast period (2020-2025).

Key Highlights

• The interest of Chinese consumers for healthy and innovative products formulated with Chinese ingredients is supporting market growth. Also, foreign retail manufacturers are expanding their presence in the country, which is expected to drive the market growth.
• The freeze-dried food market in China is experiencing rapid expansion, due to the increasing consumption of processed food and rising preference for ready-to-eat meals, owing to the rising trend of on-the-go lifestyles of consumers.
• Furthermore, the technique is ideal for fruit and vegetable products, as freeze-drying technology is most suitable for uncooked food products.
• However, freeze-drying equipment is comparatively costlier than other dryers, which is a major drawback for the small and medium scale industries.

Key Market Trends

Freeze-Dried Fruits Hold the Predominant Share

Food products, such as fruits, are highly heat-sensitive, and their chemical composition, structure, texture, taste, and nutrient content change drastically and quickly when exposed to higher temperatures. Food preservation methods, such as drying, boiling, and smoking, require high-temperature exposure, which is not suitable for quickly perishable food items, such as fruits. Owing to this, freeze-drying is considered a superior procedure for the preservation of delicate fruits, such as raspberries. The freeze-drying process locks in their tanginess and keeps the fiber structure intact. This factor, coupled with the seasonal availability of fruits, such as strawberries and raspberries, propels the market growth. Manufacturers are focusing on achieving various certifications with an aim to gain consumer/client trust and interest. Chaucer Foods Ltd offers Halal and Kosher-certified freeze-dried mango in powder, slices, pieces, and organic formats with a shelf life of typically 12-24 months.

Freeze-dried Dairy Products are the Fastest Growing Application Segment in the Country

Being an agriculture-promoting country, China has a good strength of livestock animals and, hence, the dairy sector of the country is well-established. Moreover, with the advancement in technology, the country has also become enough equipped so as to process its dairy products in the best possible ways. In spite of the process is expensive, itis being extensively used because the quality of the final dried product in terms of a rigid structure with reduced shrinkage, high rehydration ability, and superior quality render this method suitable for the production of products with high market value. The major applications of freeze-drying in the dairy industry are the preservation of probiotics and starter cultures. Apart from these, freeze-drying is also suitable for the production of freeze-dried milk, cheese, lactose, cream, and ice‐cream.

Competitive Landscape

The market is fragmented and competitive at the same time as different companies master in different fields of expertise. The companies that are into fruits and vegetable freeze-drying are mostly not involved in the freeze-drying of dairy products, coffee and tea, and so on. Thus, it creates a wide base for the manufacturers to compete on in order to prove their superiority. Thus, to cater to the vivid demands of the Chinese culture and to support the export trade, manufacturers are establishing multi-functional lines, especially for fruits and vegetable freeze-drying as they can be easily dried using the same processing line. Conversely, meat and seafood, though related, are tough to process on the same line due to their typical smells, which might get incorporated into one another at the time of processing.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support