FOOD GRADE CALCIUM CHLORIDE MARKET ANALYSIS

Calcium chloride is commercially manufactured using various methods such as refining of natural brine, reaction of calcium hydroxide with ammonium chloride in Solvay soda ash production, and reaction of hydrochloric acid with calcium carbonate. Majority of the calcium chloride is manufactured by refining of natural brine and reaction of calcium hydroxide with ammonium chloride. Food grade calcium chloride is produced from raw calcium chloride. Raw calcium chloride is evaporated and then it undergoes desulphation with barium chloride to produce food grade calcium chloride. Food grade calcium chloride is used in ice-cream production for mainly two purposes – first to decrease freezing point of ice and second, to enrich ice-cream with calcium content. Calcium chloride is added at the stage of ice cream mixing.

The global food grade calcium chloride market is estimated to surpass US$ 1,078.7 million by the end of 2028 in terms of revenue, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period (2021 to 2028).

Drivers

One of the key factors expected to stimulate market growth during the forecast period is the multiple applications of food grade calcium chloride in food processing industry. Food grade calcium chloride is widely used as an anti-caking agent, firming agent, preservative, pickling agent, texturizer, stabilizer, low sodium salt, and moisture absorber in food processing industry. Its main applications are found in cheese making, jam & jelly production, meat tenderization, beer brewing, canned fruits & vegetables, and others. Moreover, calcium chloride has strong water absorption rate making it an efficient dehumidifier, which absorbs moisture from the surrounding environment and reduces the humidity in sealed packaging, and therefore, protects food from moisture during storage.

Bottled water companies use calcium chloride and other minerals & salts in bottled drinking water mainly for imparting a taste of clean, sweet, and salt to purified water, which is tasteless after distillation. Moreover, it helps in balancing electrolytes in human body after sweating and helps in avoiding overhydrating.

Among regions, Europe held dominant position in the global food grade calcium chloride market in 2020, accounting for 34.91% market share in terms of revenue, followed by North America and Asia Pacific. For instance, the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency in December 2020, approved calcium chloride as a type of food additive that has been estimated to favour the food grade calcium chloride market growth in the U.K. in the coming years. Apart from this, high presence of players such as Intra Labs, pharmaceutical company and increasing online sales of food grade calcium chloride are known to further favour the market growth in the U.K. Sweden, on the other hand, has high presence of some manufacturers such as Tetra Chemicals, producer and marketer of calcium chloride which has further been estimated to favour the market growth in Sweden.

Figure 1. Global Food Grade Calcium Chloride Market Revenue Share (%), By Region, 2020

Market Restraints

In food applications, calcium chloride can be replaced by other salts such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium chloride. The easy availability of these substitutes is expected to hamper the market growth of the food grade calcium chloride over the forecast period. For instance, potassium chloride is commonly used as a flavour enhancer, flavoring agent, nutrient supplement, pH control agent, and stabilizer or thickener. Moreover, it is used as a salt replacer to reduce sodium content in foods. Potassium chloride is affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as multipurpose ingredient in food products with no limitations, which allows food manufacturers to use it at levels necessary to achieve its intended effect in a food product.

Market Trends

Calcium chloride is widely used in cheese making process. Since milk, which is a key raw material in cheese manufacturing, is a natural product, its quality and composition varies depending on external factors such as weather, geographic location, and type of animal feed. Adding calcium chloride in cheese making process helps to offset these variations in milk and helps in achieving a cheese with consistent characteristics. Thus, the growth of cheese market is expected to drive demand for food grade calcium chloride over the forecast period.  Increasing demand for pasta and pizza, globally has led to an increase in per capita cheese consumption, which is expected to drive the cheese market growth during the forecast period. For instance, according to data released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in June 2019, cheese consumption in the U.S. was 35 pounds per person in 2010, which increased to 39.1 pounds per person in 2017.

Figure 2. Global Food Grade Calcium Chloride Market Revenue Share (%), By Form, 2020

On the basis of form, in 2020, powder segment held largest revenue share of 25.23% in global food grade calcium chloride market. Powder form of calcium chloride is used in food and beverages industry. For instance, Nedmag B.V., a chemical plant produces anhydrous food grade calcium chloride (94-97%), as a food additive. It is a substance composed of small white prills of anhydrous calcium chloride under the brand name nedMag Ca. It is used in several food products as a source for calcium, including cheese and beer bottling in order to regulate the hardness of water and in canned food to increase the firmness of food products. The powdered food grade calcium chloride has been gaining high attraction due to its wide range of applications such as pH adjusters in the brewing industry.

Global Food Grade Calcium Chloride Market - Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic

Food being an essential commodity, the demand for food ingredients is expected to rise during the COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic conditions, worldwide. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has majorly impacted the food & beverages industry and in turn, has changed the dynamics of entire ecosystem including raw material suppliers of food ingredients such as calcium chloride. Lockdown in various countries such as India, China, and Spain, among others, and cease in the subsequent trade activities have paralyzed the supply chain. The lockdown and social distancing measures impacted the production capacity of food grade calcium chloride manufacturing plants and are operating at reduced production rates. This has negatively affected the supply of food grade calcium chloride to the market.

Competitive Section

Key players operating in the global food grade calcium chloride market include Solvay S.A., Tokuyama Corporation, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Ward Chemical Ltd., Tata Chemicals Ltd., TETRA Technologies, Inc., Zirax Limited, Weifang Yuze Chemical Co., Ltd., Mey Chern Chemicals Sdn Bhd., Anmol Chemicals Group, TCI Sanmar Chemicals S.A.E., and Weifang Haibin Chemical Co., Ltd.