Alginate Casing Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Unflavored and Flavored), By Application (Meat and Vegan), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

The global alginate casing market size was valued at USD 21.06 million in 2023 and is projected to grow from USD 22.84 million in 2024 to USD 56.81 million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.07% during the forecast period. Europe dominated the alginate casing market with a market share of 40.41% in 2023.

Alginate is a natural anionic polymer conventionally obtained from brown algae. Alginate is available as calcium, potassium, sodium, or ammonium salts. They have found a number of applications in the food industry, including sausage casing, thickeners, and gelators.

The market is experiencing robust growth primarily due to increasing demand for sausages across the food service and retail channels. In addition, the growing interest in trying out plant-based sausages has mainly contributed to the increased popularity of seaweed-based alginate casing across various regions globally.

The demand and sale of sausages experienced a sudden slump due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide lockdowns in various countries resulted in the disruption of trade activities, which slowed the growth of the industry.

Alginate Casing Market Trends

Adoption of Vegan Lifestyle Among Consumers Attracting Them to Plant-based Meat Alternatives is the Market Trend

Plant-based meat has been commercialized for several years, but it is at a critical juncture in the current decade. Plant-based meat products have enormous potential to meet the growing demand for conventional food alternatives. Early adopters are currently purchasing plant-based meat products, but they have the potential to reach a wider segment of the population very quickly. The innovative approach to developing and commercializing meat products will drive consumer acceptance and adoption of plant-based meat, which will led to consumer toward naturally derived alginate casings.

Meat consumption is particularly problematic for a sustainable environment as it puts a large burden on the environment. Animal-sourced foods have a larger ecological footprint than plant foods, emit more greenhouse gases, require more land and nitrogen, and affect terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity water. Therefore, consumers who are self-aware about sustainable living consume plant-based foods. This trend is forcing food manufacturers to opt for alternative ingredients from plant-based meat to prepare their food products.

Alginate Casing Market Growth Factors

Growing Meat Consumption Boosts Market Growth

Rapid global population growth, combined with industrialization and changing consumer habits, continues to drive demand for meat. Meat production has quadrupled globally over the past five decades. The increase in per capita meat demand implies that total meat production has increased faster than population growth. These consumption trends have propelled the demand for sausages and processed meat products, which positively boosts the market. The product is rapidly becoming a popular alternative for conventional animal and collagen casings for sausages. A layer of liquid alginate is applied to the sausage and then hardens into a sturdy structure in a calcium bath. With the trend of applying edible casing to meat products to get crispy bites and soothing textures, the market is expected to grow during the forecast period.

Growing Demand for Convenient Foods to Fuel  the Market Growth

Demand for prepared foods is driven by rapid urbanization and income growth, both of which have led to a growing consumer desire for conveniently packaged, ready-to-sell foods globally. Sausages are considered popular breakfast items in North America, Europe, and other developed countries. Many families in which both parents work tend to prefer ready-to-eat foods, such as canned meat and sausages, and want to reduce food preparation and processing time. Processed meats and ready-to-eat sausages require different functional ingredients, such as alginate, to optimize stability, creaminess, shelf life, viscosity, and water absorption capacity. Alginate acts both as a stabilizer and gelling agent and hence is gaining attention from sausage manufacturers as an innovative alternative for traditional casings. With the number of dual-parent working families expected to increase in coming years, the demand for products such as sausages is expected to rise, resulting in increased demand for alginate casing from the industry.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Lack of Awareness about Plant-based Foods in Developing Countries Poses a Potential Threat to Market Growth

Plant-based food products are emerging as a popular food trend in North America and Europe. However, in the developing countries in the Asia Pacific, South America, and the African region, they still lack consumer awareness and popularity. Meat alternatives are considered as costly alternatives, and in countries such as Indonesia, India, Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, where access to basic food remains the top priority for a larger portion of the population, these products fit in the luxury food category. Many consumers who were first-time adopters of plant-based food tried cheaper products that were not up to the mark as their expectations, and hence, major consumer groups that have tried the plant-based meat prefer not trying them again. Such challenges are the major setbacks to the growth of the plant-based meat alternatives segment, which restricts the alginate casing market growth.

Alginate Casing Market Segmentation Analysis

By Application Analysis

Vegan Segment Holds Majority Share Owing to Growing Demand for Vegan Sausages

Based on the application, the market is segmented into meat and vegan.

The vegan segment emerged as the dominant segment in the global market. Soy-based sausages are a popular choice among vegan consumers for conventional meat sausages due to the taste resemblance and protein content soy sausages offer. Moreover, soy-based sausages are extensively available in the market, making them a familiar choice for consumers. Other sausages made from plant-based raw materials include sausages made from wheat, pea, and mushroom sausages. These sausages are also gaining growing attention from consumers as more companies develop innovative products using these ingredients.

Meat segment is expected to grow at a moderate growth rate but at a constant pace. Meat-based sausage manufacturers are also leaning toward opting for alginate casings, as these alginate casings are available at a cheaper cost and are edible, which many consumers have been demanding over the last few years.

By Product Type Analysis

Unflavored Alginate casings Held Largest Market Share Because of the Wide Availability

Depending on the product type, the market is divided into unflavored and flavored types.

The unflavored product type segment held the largest market share of the alginate market size in the year 2023, which is attributed to the widescale availability of the unflavored alginate casings in the major global markets. Alginate casing is a new product category, and market players that are entering this growing industry mostly enter with unflavored products to minimize their risk of negative feedback or a negative impression of their product. This tendency of market players increases the availability of unflavored versions of alginate casings in the market.

Flavored alginate casing is emerging as a trendy product in the casing segment. Flavors, such as BBQ alginate casing, are popular among millennial consumers, and hence, market players are launching alginate casings in flavored formats, making the segment grow with the highest CAGR. This factor is expected to boost the overall growth of the alginate casing market.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

On the basis of geography, the market is studied across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Europe is the largest geographic region in terms of market value global alginate casing market share. Europe's dominance in the global market share is majorly due to the presence of countries, such as Germany, Austria, France, Spain, and Belgium, where per capita sausage consumption is very high. Sausages are a major part of European consumers' daily diet. Hence, the demand for sausages is very high. With the innovation in the sausages industry, the presence of alginate casing manufacturers is also high in the European region. Demand for both basic colored and flavored casing is expected to proliferate in the coming years due to the awareness of their availability among consumers.

The U.S. is the largest single-country market in the global market analysis. The leading position of the country in the market is attributed to the fact that almost 160 million KGs of hot dogs are sold through retail stores in the U.S., highlighting the high demand for sausages and meat in the country. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that Americans consume nearly 20 million sausages annually. This consumption trend is expected to prevail over the next few years, and the demand for edible alginate casings will grow at a high speed.

Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing region in the market. Japan, China, South Korea, and several other countries consume a substantial amount of meat, resulting in a surging demand for sausage products. For instance, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, there has been a significant growth in the food and meat products demand across the Asia Pacific region. The surging population in countries, including Bangladesh, China, India, and others, drives this increase in demand. The growing disposable income levels and increasing population make Asia Pacific the most attractive region for market expansion.

South America comprises nations, such as Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and others, where the consumption of food and meat consumption is less compared with Asia Pacific, Europe, and other regions. The region exhibits a preference for cheaper meat alternatives than Europe and North America.

The import of algae and seaweed to process and produce ingredients has seen significant growth in the Middle East & Africa region. This upswing can be attributed to the expanding food & meat segment in the area, where these substances play a crucial role in food production. This provides exporters with opportunities to expand their presence in new geographies by exporting meat products such as sausages to these countries. Global market growth is directly proportional to the growth of the sausage industry. Hence, the promising outlook of the sausage industry in the region exerts numerous growth opportunities for the manufacturers.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Key Players are Adopting Product Launch Strategies to Strengthen their Presence in the Market

In terms of the competitive landscape, the market is fragmented due to the presence of several prominent players across North America and Europe. The increasing focus of these major market players is on introducing new variants of their existing product portfolio to expand their consumer base, which further contributes to the market growth.

Key players are also concentrating on strategic acquisitions, mergers, and partnerships to maintain a competitive edge. The entrance of small and niche players in the market is contributing to intensifying competition within the market, which has a positive effect on the growth of the market.

LIST OF TOP ALGINATE CASING COMPANIES:

• ViskoTeepak (Finland)


• D2 INGREDIENTS, LP (U.S.)


• FMC Corporation (U.S.)


• Ruitenberg Ingredients B.V. (Netherlands)


• PROMAR PPH Sp. z o.o. (Poland)


• Viscofan, S.A. (Spain)


• Vaessen Schoemaker B.V. (Netherlands)


• Algaia (France)


• J. RETTENMAIER & SÖHNE GmbH + Co KG (Germany)


• SoleChem S.R.L. (Italy)


• Albert Handtmann Holding GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• October 2023 - Nelson-Jameson entered into a partnership with Vaess, a popular alginate casing brand, to cater to the increasing demand for diversity in customers' portfolios. Through this partnership, Nelson-Jameson will work with Vaess to deliver customized strategies for the company to grow in the alginate casing segment.


• March 2023 - The JRS Group, a popular German manufacturer of functional plant-based ingredients, acquired "Algaia SA," a France-based manufacturer of hydrocolloids and seaweed extracts.


• October 2022 – Japan's leading alginate manufacturer, KIMICA Corporation, opened a new R&D facility in Futtsu City as part of its 80th-anniversary project. With a large-scale laboratory, KIMICA is aiming to meet the increasing consumer demand for aglinate products.

REPORT COVERAGE

The market research report provides a detailed analysis of the market and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies, product types, regional alginate casing market share, growth rate for all possible market segments, competitive landscape, and leading end-users of the product. Besides, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments. In addition to the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the market in recent years.

Report Scope & Segmentation