The potassium sorbate industry shows good development prospects as the upstream and downstream sectors of the industrial chain continue to benefit.

Potassium sorbate, also known as potassium 2,4-hexadienoate, refers to the potassium salt of sorbic acid. The molecular formula is C6H7O2K. It appears as white to light yellow scale-like crystal particles or powder. It is easily soluble in water, soluble in propylene glycol and ethanol. Potassium sorbate is prepared from acetic acid, sorbic acid and potassium hydroxide as raw materials through catalytic cracking, polymerization and hydrolysis reactions. It has the characteristics of low toxic and side effects, good antiseptic performance, high reliability and good mildew removal effect. It is mainly As a preservative, it is used in food, feed, chemicals, rubber, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, papermaking, spices, resins and other fields.

Acetic acid and potassium hydroxide are the main raw materials of potassium sorbate. In the field of acetic acid, my country’s acetic acid production has shown steady growth in recent years. In 2021, domestic acetic acid production capacity has reached 9.735 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 8.2%; in the field of potassium hydroxide, my country’s potassium hydroxide production capacity has reached 1.364 million tons in 2021. A year-on-year increase of 6.8%. The sufficient supply of upstream raw materials provides strong conditions for the development of the domestic potassium sorbate industry. According to the“Sorbic Acid and Potassium Sorbate Industry Development Status and Development in 2023” released by the Industrial Research Center Investment Strategy Suggestion Report shows that domestic potassium sorbate production capacity will exceed 120,000 tons in 2021.

At present, the application fields of potassium sorbate in my country are constantly expanding, but food is still its largest application field. Food preservatives are an important part of food additives. Currently, the four common food additives on the market include benzoates, propionates, hydroxybenzoates and sorbates. Compared with the other three types of products, potassium sorbate as a food preservative has higher safety, antiseptic effect and lower toxicity characteristics, and is currently the main product in the preservative market. Currently, driven by the rapid development of the domestic food industry, the market demand for potassium sorbate is continuously increasing.

At this stage, my country’s potassium sorbate industry is highly concentrated. Wanglong Group, Vinegar Chemical Co., Ltd., Runpu Food, and Jinneng Technology are the four companies that occupy the main market share. In 2021, the production capacity of the four companies will account for 10% of the domestic potassium sorbate production. The total production capacity has exceeded 95%, and the domestic market has shown an oligopoly pattern. At present, my country has become one of the world’s largest producers of potassium sorbate, accounting for nearly 90% of the world’s total production.

Industry analysts said that in recent years, in the upstream of the domestic potassium sorbate industry chain, acetic acid and potassium hydroxide Driven by the sufficient supply of raw materials and the rapid development of downstream food, feed and other application fields, its production capacity continues to increase and its scale continues to expand, and the industry shows good development prospects. At present, the global potassium sorbate consumption market is mainly concentrated in European and American countries and regions, and the penetration rate in the domestic market is low. However, with the continuous strengthening of national health awareness and the increasingly stringent food safety standards, the potassium sorbate has the advantages of high safety and low toxic and side effects. The demand for potassium acid continues to increase, and the market penetration rate is constantly increasing.