Since the year of 2018,
the prices of acesulfame-K have maintained great increases in China. From Jan.
to April, its price increased by over 20%. Given the increasing demand for it,
prices will probably remain high.
Acesulfame-k,
also known as acesulfame potassium or simply Ace K, is a calorie-free
artificial sweetener, used as an additive in many food and beverages nowadays.
The chemical sweetener is characterized to be 200 times sweeter than common
sugar. Acesulfame-k is used to give food and drinks a sweet taste without
adding calories.
Unlike
similar sweeteners, it is stable when heated. This property explains why it is
found in many baked goods. Examples of common foods containing acesulfame-k
include soda, fruit juices, non-carbonated beverages, alcohol, dairy products,
ice cream, baked goods, and toothpaste and mouthwash.
Thanks
to its safety, good flavour and the stability in hot
and acid environment, acesulfame-K has gradually replaced the places
of saccharin, sodium cyclamate, and aspartame to be highly needed in medium-
and high-end markets. In addition, as people value more on healthy lifestyles,
in selection of food, they tend to choose those containing fewer sugars and
calories. Acesulfame-K does not metabolise and will not be absorbed, without
energy generated. So it is a perfect sweetener for middle-aged and elderly
people, obese patients and the diabetic. So far, it has been approved for use
in food in more than 80 countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, and Japan.
According
to CCM's price monitoring, acesulfame-K prices increased in April in China by
21.22% YoY and 9.91% compared with January 2018. Throughout 2017, China's
acesulfame-K prices were stable on the whole. It peaked in September,
increasing by 5.45% over the year's lowest in January. Then in 2018, the prices
of this artificial sweetener have increased faster.
The
constant increases in prices of acesulfame-K were related to the further
increased industrial concentration. According to CCM's investigation, the
global acesulfame-K capacity is about 20,000 t/a, and China accounts for nearly
85% of the total. Anhui Jinhe is the world's biggest manufacturer, taking a
market share of over 60%. The second largest producer is Suzhou Hope, having a
capacity of producing about 2,000 tonnes less per year of acesulfame-K.
However, since 2015, its operating rate has dramatically decreased to less than
30%. Later, in May 2017, it was ordered to suspend production for environmental
reasons. This year, it has to become busy with relocation.
CCM
considers that the demand for it will continue to rise. However, no new
capacities will be added. On March 14, Anhui Jinhe disclosed that it currently
had no expansion plans, saying no hearing of new acesulfame-K capacities. It
would focus on sucralose by improving techniques and increasing capacities.
Furthermore,
as the environmental policies are getting stricter, it will be more difficult
for producers to run at full capacity. Therefore, it is predicted that the
domestic acesulfame-K supply will be balanced or even a little tightened in
2018.
About the article
The
information for this article comes from CCM, China’s leading market
intelligence provider for the fields of agriculture, chemicals, food and feed.
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