Global Phytosterols Market

Description

Phytosterols are plant sterols which are found in the fatty tissues of plants. Phytosterols cannot be synthesized by humans and animals due to which they need to be included in the diet. The chemical structure of phytosterols is similar to cholesterol, with few exceptions; however, the absorption of phytosterols in humans is much less than that of cholesterol. Phytosterols are naturally found in all items of plant origin.

End-user/Technology

Food industry is the major end user for phytosterols as most of the processed food is being topped off with phytosterols to cater the needs of health concerned consumers. It is the largest shareholder of this market with almost 50% of market share both in terms of volume and money.

Market Dynamics

Consumers across the world are becoming more health conscious for foods with additional benefits such as low cholesterol and reduced disease risks. Phytosterol-rich food diets help in reducing cholesterol absorption and reduce the risks of heart diseases. Rapid advances in science and technology, increasing health care costs, aging population, and rising awareness of customers in attaining wellness through diet are the major factors driving the demand for functional food and beverages as well as ingredients such as phytosterols and carotenoids.The high-growth potential in emerging markets and untapped regions provides new growth opportunities for market players. The growth of this market is driven by growing customer attention towards superior quality food, which should be balanced and nutritive

Market Segmentation

The global phytosterols market is segmented based on type, application.
Based on type, they are segmented as follows
I. Beta-sitosterols
II. Campesterols
III. Stigmasterols and others.
According to application, it is segmented into
I. Food
II. Pharmaceuticals
III. Cosmetics
IV. Feed

Regional/Geographic Analysis

Market is majorly dominated by developing nations like, India, China and Brazil which remain untapped because of unawareness among people till now. Now consumers are more concerned about their health benefits when consuming a product and this will likely help the market to grow rapidly in the coming years. Asia-Pacific provides new growth opportunities for market players in phytosterols. Restraints for this market are less and thereby easy to grow.

Opportunities

People are becoming more and more aware about various health benefits of Phytosterols. It has numerous end user applications and also increase in cardio vascular diseases are making people to choose phytosterols. Also, feed manufacturers and nutritionists are focusing on feed that include phytosterols, to be used as feed for animals. This will provide better health benefits to humans who consume animal meat. All these factors are driving the market and awareness among people will be the major factor for this market, which will create potential opportunities to be explored.

Key Players

The phytosterol industry has many players; however, the industry is dominated by a few. Raisio Plc., BASF SE, and Bunge Limited collectively account for more than half of the total phytosterols market. Acquisition was found to be the most preferred growth strategy in the phytosterols market. Other players such as Pharmachem Laboratories Inc., DuPont,Cargill Inc., ADM, Arboris, HyPhyto Inc., and Gustav Parmentier GmbH also have a strong presence in the market.