China has 80% market share of global supply of Lutein. After 10 years’ development, innovation in order to enhance the bioavailability of lutein product began to perk up. Continuous innovation in microencapsulated lutein technology from of Lutein enterprises including DSM, Zhejiang Medicine CO., LTD Xinchang Pharmaceutical Factory, INNOBIO have brought new opportunities to market applications.
China lutein mainstream market is still mainly in feed grade and food grade. As far as Herbridge Media knows, in the past two years, the major manufacturers of lutein were actively building their own marigold planting base in order to avoid risks. In 2015, China’s several major producing areas including Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia have a good harvest. Market price of Extract is consistent with the price in 2012. Feed-grade lutein is the leading force while food-grade lutein is the potential one. As Chenguang Biotech Group Co.,Ltd told Herbridge Media, since the end of 2014, due to market stocks continued to be consumed, Lutein market prices have picked up. Lutein demand on the market is still mainly of feed grade while food grade market demand is only one tenth of the demand for feed grade. Market demand has increased in both areas in 2015. In the field of feed area, many manufacturers are gradually looking for natural sources of additives to increase the added value of aquaculture products and the market demand continues to increase along with the increase of farmers; in the field of dietary supplements, lutein products are of various types. Taking lutein health care products is long-term consumption habits to consumers and relatively high market prices also directly inhibit some consumer demand. The good news is that China's overall consumers have a certain cognitive of Lutein, which laid certain foundation for the future development of dietary supplements of lutein. Zhejiang Medicine CO., LTD Xinchang Pharmaceutical Factory told Herbridge Media that since 2008 China began to focus on lutein research which has been applied in the food industry in 2009. Market demand of food-grade lutein has been steadily rising annually. Meanwhile the market demand through technological innovation microencapsulated lutein is mainly in the field of dietary supplements, and the annual market demand growth is around 30%. Previously Wahaha and other companies have developed microencapsulated lutein functional beverage products, but because consumer awareness is not high and the products were off shelves. However, in the field of dietary supplements and infant formula, consumers have begun to have a certain awareness of lutein ingredient, which has some positive effect for the lutein dietary supplement market development in the future. Paprika Powder told Herbridge Media that Lutein supply situation changed little from previous years, food grade and feed grade Lutein market demand continued to increase steadily. Moreover, China's microencapsulated lutein is an accumulation of many years of valuable technical innovation, but the technology still need adaptation period in dietary supplements, functional beverages, dairy products and other areas. The market in the future is optimistic. Xi'an Huarui Biological told Herbridge Media that price of Lutein reached the highest level in 2012 in the market and then in 2013 to 2015 it entered into a self-regulation period of the market which mainly due to supply and demand imbalance or excess or shortage of marigold. Lutein basic production techniques are transparent while there are still differences in cost control. In particular, the development of feed grade Lutein does not have certain technical threshold. China is a big country with great needs of feed grade lutein, which will naturally attract some enterprises to enter the market, thus competitiveness is undoubtedly also been increased. It is expected that within the next year in the Lutein market, excluding market speculation factors, lutein will be firmly gait to meet the new production of the new season!
