Natural pigments are pigments derived from natural sources (mostly plant extracts). According to foreign reports, there are currently dozens of natural pigments used in the food industry in Western countries. In recent years, the demand for natural pigments in Western countries is increasing, so the annual average growth rate of natural pigments in the global market is as high as 10% to 15%, especially in the five developed countries of the United States, Britain, Germany, France and Japan. Natural pigments are the most used in the food industry.

Europe, Japan and Japan have increased their demand

Although there are many varieties of natural pigment products on the international market, the most commonly used pigments are generally divided into five categories, including red pigment (representing varieties of carotene, capsanthin, etc.); orange pigment (mango peel extract, annatto pigment) Etc.; green pigment (chlorophyll); bright yellow pigment (curcumin) and blue-purple pigment (anthocyanin), other natural pigment products sold in the market are caramel color and food grade titanium dioxide, and β from Dunaliella salina Carotene is the first natural orange pigment used in food. In recent years, new natural pigments including astaxanthin (a natural red pigment from red algae), canthaxanthin, lutein (from marigold) and turmeric powder have also been added to the list of natural pigments in Europe and the United States. . These newly added natural pigments have certain anti-disease and anti-disease effects on the human body. In 2012, the world's major natural pigments market ranked Europe (36%), the United States (28%), Asia (18%), and other countries and regions together accounted for 18%.

Yellow pigment is the most used pigment in the food industry in Europe and the United States. In the past few years, the sales of curcumin produced in India have increased sharply in the international market. According to foreign reports, in 2012, the global sales of curcumin exceeded 15,000 tons. Among them, the sales volume of curcumin in the domestic market in India reached 10,000 tons. Another natural pigment that is similar to curcumin in the international market is the edible red pigment, red yeast rice (which is a traditional Chinese food coloring). It is also the only one in the world that uses fungi (monasella). Fermented natural red pigment. In the early 1990s, Western researchers discovered that Chinese red yeast contains a substance that helps lower blood fat (the “natural statin”). Since then, the red song has never been known to Westerners. A hot commodity in the international natural pigment market. Because eating red yeast processed food can play a role in lowering blood fat. Therefore, red yeast red pigment is quite popular in the international market. According to the statistics of relevant departments in China, in the past few years, the total output of red yeast in China has exceeded 10,000 tons, and the number of exported red yeast accounts for about 30% to 40% of the total output of domestic red yeast. Total global natural pigment market sales in 2011 were $732 million, and this number is expected to rise to $1.320 billion by 2017.

Affected by the economic downturn

In 2012, the most natural pigments sold in China were: red yeast rice, chili red, caramel color, gardenia yellow, marigold extract (ie lutein), in which the annual yield of red yeast rice and caramel color Both exceeded 10,000 tons, while the annual yield of capsicum red pigment was estimated at around 7,500 tons, and the annual output of gardenia yellow and marigold extract was 3,400 tons and 5,000 tons, respectively. Among the above five natural pigment products, the export volume of red yeast rice, capsanthin and scorpion yellow pigment is the largest, accounting for about half of the similar products in the international market.

However, in recent years, China's natural pigment exports have seen new trends - the world's largest natural pigment market in Europe, due to the economic downturn in many countries, which in turn affects the shrinking demand for natural pigments in China, especially scorpion yellow, red Natural pigments such as koji and capsicum red. In 2012, China’s exports to Europe fell by 20% to 30%, and its prices also fell, causing some domestic companies specializing in the production and export of natural pigments to fall into a state of loss. In addition, in the past few years, due to the economic benefits of exporting natural pigments, many areas in China have expanded the area for planting natural pigment plants. According to reports, in Yunnan Province alone, the planting area of marigold has nearly doubled, as is the case with red pepper. Once the demand in the foreign market decreases and the import volume declines, it will inevitably lead to a backlog of domestic natural pigment raw materials and a situation in which manufacturers compete for each other. According to the statistics of the China Medical Insurance Chamber of Commerce, last year, the export prices of natural pigments such as capsicum red and gardenia yellow all fell, especially the export price of gardenia yellow has dropped from 4 yuan per gram in the previous two years to per gram. Only 2 yuan, which makes the companies engaged in the export of natural pigments complain. The situation of capsicum red pigment is slightly better than that of gardenia yellow, mainly because of the stable sales channels in pepper red.

Despite this, as consumers in Western countries are increasingly advocating natural pigment raw materials, sales of synthetic pigments in foreign food industries are shrinking, while pigments from natural plants are popular. Therefore, from the perspective of development, China's natural pigment industry will have a bright future.