Food starch is a complex carbohydrate derived from various plant sources, including maize, wheat, rice, potatoes, and tapioca. These sources provide starch, which is refined to remove impurities and enhance its useful properties. Food starch is a useful ingredient in the food industry because it extends the expiration life of food and prevents it from degrading during storage. In addition to sauces, snacks, soups, confectionery, bread, ice creams, soft beverages, and ready-to-eat meals, starch-based ingredients are used in various other culinary products.
Expanding F&B Industry Drives the Global Market
The global food and beverage market has experienced robust development in recent years due to innovation in the food system, improved logistics, a rise in affordability, a rise in global trade, and a rise in consumer spending. The food and beverage industry has continuously evolved in response to consumer demands. In addition, the demand for convenience foods has multiplied due to consumers' preference for inexpensive and ready-to-eat food. The expansion of the food processing industry in recent years is anticipated to increase the demand for food constituents, which will positively impact the demand for food starch. These factors collectively fuel global market expansion.
Clean Label Starch Gaining High Traction Among Consumers Creates Tremendous Opportunities
According to an analysis by Straits Research, more than 60 percent of Americans believe natural products to be superior, and more than 51 percent actively pursue natural ingredients when purchasing food products. Industry participants are venturing into producing clean-label starch to meet the rising demand for clean-label ingredients. For instance, Beneo-Remy developed natural, native, and clean-label starches with comparable performance to chemically modified starches. Cargill is also involved in producing clean-label starch, which it actively markets under the SimPure brand. Therefore, a rise in the popularity of clean-label food products is anticipated to generate lucrative opportunities for food starch industry participants.
Asia-Pacific is the most significant global food starch market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period. The expansion of the food starch market is anticipated to be driven by the significant expansion of the food industry in Asia-Pacific. The region has experienced a consistent demand for starch due to the expansion strategies implemented by numerous food and beverage companies in this region. The growth of the Asia-Pacific market has been propelled by regional government cooperation and accelerated industrialization. In addition, robust development is anticipated in China and India due to increased demand from the bakery and dairy sectors. The rising demand for processed convenience foods is also anticipated to fuel the expansion of the Asia-Pacific food starch market.
North America is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.2% over the forecast period. North America is the largest contributor to revenue and the most developed market for culinary starch products. The food and beverage industries' early adoption of advanced technology and the introduction of non-GMO food starch are the primary growth drivers of the North American food starch market. Additionally, expanding the food processing industry in this region has accelerated market growth. Advancements in the starch formulation have enabled the discovery of new raw material sources of starch in food and beverage applications other than their traditional use, a major growth driver for the market.