Sugar free drinks stand in the tuyere, but the protagonists "erythritol" are being challenged

It is a problem of "sweetness" thrown by the new generation to the industry that we should not only be healthy without burden, but also enjoy sweetness. But fortunately, human beings always have a higher pursuit of "sweetness", and new raw materials, new technologies and new sciences have emerged one after another. They can constantly challenge the sugar substitutes in the trials of better balancing health and enjoyment, and advance towards a more perfect "sweetness".

With the health anxiety of the younger generation, "sugar reduction" has become one of the most correct trends in the beverage industry. But is "subtraction" enough for sugar free drinks? Obviously, comments such as "hard to drink" and "light" everywhere on social platforms tell us that subtraction is not enough. Consumers don't want the burden of sugar, but they can never give up the idea of "sweet". It is a problem of "sweetness" thrown by the new generation to the beverage industry that we should not only be healthy without burden, but also enjoy sweetness. In the face of the sweet habit that consumers can't give up, the important starting point of the industry in the future must be the innovation and breakthrough of sugar reduction technology.

It is popular with sugar free drinks, but "erythritol" is not the only positive solution. Behind the popularity of sugar free drinks, sugar substitutes ushered in explosive growth

After more than ten years of market cultivation, sugar free beverage has finally reached its outlet. With the explosion of sugar free drinks, the key upstream sugar substitute industry behind has also taken advantage of the wind and ushered in explosive growth. Public data show that the share prices of a number of relevant listed enterprises have soared.

At present, the common sugar substitutes on the market include erythritol, sucralose, acesulfame, aspartame and stevioside. Erythritol has become a hot rookie with the help of explosive products and the advantage of natural low calorie.

It can also be seen from the output growth of subdivided categories. The CAGR of erythritol from 2015 to 2019 was 29.9%, which was significantly faster than that of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame and sucralose. Among the three types of artificial sweeteners, sucralose increased significantly, with CAGR of 18.9% from 2015 to 2019, followed by Acesulfame (9.8%) and abbasite (- 14.1%).

According to the data, the global erythritol market in 2019 was about US $225.6 million, about RMB 1.579 billion.

The first is the cost. Among the mainstream sweeteners, erythritol has very low sweetness. Compared with the high-power sweetener whose sweetness is hundreds of times that of sucrose, erythritol has to pay 4-6 times the cost to reach the same sweetness level. Compared with the beginning of this year, the price of erythritol has doubled, from 16000 yuan / ton to 32000 yuan / ton, and the quotation of individual manufacturers has even exceeded 40000 yuan / ton. What's more, they began to sell erythritol by bidding.

The rising market demand also poses new challenges to the production capacity of erythritol. At present, there are only 4-5 erythritol manufacturers with a certain production scale, and the total production capacity is limited. Even if several erythritol manufacturers are actively expanding production, the production capacity is far from meeting the expectations of the future market. In addition, when all kinds of foods begin to be sugar free, consumers' daily intake of sugar substitutes is also a matter of concern.

Insight into consumers, what is the core appeal of the next generation of "sugar free"?

The most intuitive reason for choosing sugar free drinks lies in the health anxiety and appearance anxiety of young people. Therefore, we began to pay attention to health preservation behavior early, and "sugar free" is the first step to put it into action. On the other hand, the tangle is that although they say to be healthy, young people also attach great importance to the taste, taste and experience of food and beverages. Sufficient and healthy "addiction" is the direct weapon to hook consumers. Feedback to the product level, consumers' preference for products is usually to feel which drink tastes better, more natural and more unforgettable. How to realize the "good" beverage in the consumer's ideal tests the formulation developers' understanding and mastery of existing and new technologies: how to fully mobilize consumers' multiple senses and meet consumers' multidimensional needs for "addiction"?