my country’s citric acid market will operate strongly in 2021, with the average export unit price hitting a record high

Citric acid (CA) is also called citric acid, and its chemical name is 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid. Citric acid is a tricarboxylic acid that appears as colorless crystals, odorless and has a strong sour taste. As a sour agent, citric acid is widely used in food, medicine, feed, chemical industry, cosmetics, electronics, environmental protection and other fields. In the food field, citric acid is the most commonly used sour agent, accounting for about 70% of the organic acid market. In recent years, my country’s citric acid market has developed well thanks to the release of market demand.

According to the “China Citric Acid Industry Development Status and Investment Prospects Analysis Report 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center, in the world On the market, the citric acid consumption market is mainly concentrated in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South Africa, among which Europe is the largest citric acid market in the world. my country is the world’s largest producer and exporter of citric acid. In 2020, the output of my country’s citric acid industry reached about 1.523 million tons, with a market size of about 2 billion yuan. In 2021, due to low business operating rates, improved export demand, and factory maintenance, my country’s citric acid supply has declined, driving the citric acid market price to continue to rise.

Domestic citric acid is mainly exported. In 2021, my country’s citric acid export market will show an increase in both volume and price. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, in 2021, my country’s citric acid export volume reached 1.067 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 13.19%, and the average export unit price was US$1,010/ton, a year-on-year increase of 68.33%, a record high. Globally, India, Mexico, Russia, Japan, and Poland are the top five exporting regions for citric acid in my country, with India ranking first with approximately 100,000 tons.

Citric acid is easily soluble in water. Depending on the water content, citric acid can be divided into two types: citric acid monohydrate and citric acid anhydrous. Natural citric acid is mostly found in lemons, citrus, pineapples and other plants, and is also found in small amounts in animal bones, muscles, and blood. Citric acid production processes include fruit extraction, chemical synthesis, and biological fermentation. At present, my country’s citric acid production processes are mainly based on biological fermentation, including solid fermentation, liquid submerged fermentation, etc.

In recent years, under the guidance of national policies, the structure of my country’s citric acid industry has been effectively adjusted, and the industry has obvious trends in scale, environmental protection, intensification, and groupization. At this stage, my country’s largest citric acid production companies include Weifang Yingxuan, COFCO Biochemical, Lemon Biochemical, Anhui Fengyuan, Luxin Jinhe, etc. Among them, Weifang Yingxuan’s market share reaches 30%, ranking first in the country.

Industry analysts said that as an organic acid, citric acid has a wide range of applications, including food, cosmetics, medicine, chemical industry, etc. field. In recent years, thanks to the release of market demand and optimization of production processes, the scale of my country’s citric acid industry has continued to expand. my country’s citric acid is mainly exported. In 2021, the volume and price of my country’s citric acid export market increased, and the average export unit price hit a record high.