Fat Replacer Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Source (Plant, Animal), By Type (Carbohydrate, Protein, Lipid, Others) By Form (Liquid, Powder), By Application (Processed Meat, Bakery And Confectionery, Beverage, Convenience Food), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2024 To 2029

The global fat replacer market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.41%, reaching a market size of US$4.35 billion in 2029 from US$2.471 billion in 2022.

Food additives called fat replacers, also known as fat mimetics or fat substitutes, are designed to mimic the stability, stability, and chemical characteristics of regular fat but with fewer calories. Low-fat and low-calorie products like cheese, sour cream, frozen desserts, processed meats, salad dressings, food items, and baked goods are made with them. They can be used as moisture retainers, binders, texturizers, and emulsifiers. Food items can also benefit from adding fat substitutes to enhance their mouthfeel, texture, flavor, bulk, and smoothness. Commercially available fat replacers include modified starches, hydrocolloid gums, cellulose, dextrin, pectin, modified triglycerides, and sucrose polyesters.

Chemically, fat replacers resemble proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Customers are changing their eating habits and consuming less fat due to their increased awareness of health concerns. These factors present a substantial market opportunity for fat replacers. Since a high-fat diet can cause obesity, cancer, high blood cholesterol, and coronary heart disease, fat replacers are currently a blessing to society. Demand for creative ingredients and low-calorie foods is anticipated to fuel its market growth during the projection period. The evolving food industry is anticipated to increase consumer demand for more refined goods. Food producers constantly invest in R&D to create products with the fewest calories feasible.

Fat Replacer Market Drivers

• Rising health awareness due to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases

Even though fat content adds aroma and improves the flavor & texture of the food products, its consumption can adversely affect one’s health and heart. High-fat diets increase the risk of heart disease, obesity, and other potentially deadly medical conditions. High blood cholesterol levels are more frequent in those who consume a fat-rich diet, increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Using fat substitutes in food and beverage goods preserves the item's original qualitative qualities while minimizing the risks associated with fat consumption. Since fat replacements lack energy-dense fat molecules, products that use them have fewer calories than full-fat counterparts.

According to the estimates by the Centers for Disease Control in 2021, there were 2,552 deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) overall every day. In the US, a CVD-related death occurs every 34 seconds on average. In the United States, heart disease causes about 1,905 deaths per day, including heart attacks. High fat and lipid consumption also raise the prevalence of obesity among people. As per the World Health Organization estimates, obesity kills approximately 4 million people every year. According to the World Obesity Federation, by 2030, one in every five women and one in every seven men will be obese.

• High demand for carbohydrate fat replacers

The fact that carbohydrates are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) compounds helps them maintain texture, moisture, and viscosity while also providing mouthfeel and leading the market. Salad dressings, sauces, dairy products, and frozen desserts can all benefit from the partial or complete replacement of fat with carbohydrates like cellulose. Products made of fiber, like locust bean, guar gum, xanthan gum, gum Arabic, pectins, and carrageenan, have very few calories. They give the food a creamy texture and have a thickening or gelling effect. Carbohydrates have been introduced into the market by industry players for several reasons. For instance, CP Kelco offers KelcoGel, a gellan gum used to improve the texture and mouthfeel of food items.

• Increasing demand for convenience food

Convenience foods include the growing processed food trade, rising disposable income levels, evolving lifestyles, and more convenient food options for consumers. Large investments have also been made to enhance the cold chain infrastructure. It is anticipated that as consumers' demand for healthier dinner options grows and their eating habits drastically change, the consumption of convenience foods will rise. Despite consumers' limited culinary skills and increasing time constraints, there is a strong willingness to invest in the ready-to-eat market. This has increased the demand for convenience meals.

Fat Replacers Market Geographical Outlook

• North America is witnessing exponential growth during the forecast period

North America is anticipated to hold a substantial market share in fat-replacement ingredients and products. This region will experience rapid expansion throughout the projection period due to the growing demand for low-fat and low-calorie products. Fat replacers are in high demand in markets like the United States and Canada. This region's market is also expanding due to the growing millennial population and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases caused by the consumption of fats.

Moreover, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s recent estimates in the United States, one person dies from cardiovascular disease every 33 seconds. The high obesity rate in countries such as the US and Canada is also spurring regional market growth.

Fat Replacers Market Key Launches

• In June 2023, OleoProTM, a revolutionary plant protein-based fat ingredient from Shiru, functions similarly to animal fat but without detrimental effects on the environment or human health. Compared to conventional structured fats, OleoProTM reduces saturated fat by up to 90% while improving the technical performance of substitute proteins.
• In October 2022, the manufacturer of EPG, Epogee® LLC, reported that in just four years, its plant-based fat substitute has eliminated over 3 billion calories from the US food chain. EPG assists food manufacturers in creating healthier food products in several categories, such as plant-based meats, chocolate confections, nut butter, salty and savory snacks, and baked goods, without compromising flavor or texture or having unfavorable side effects.  EPG, a modified plant-based oil, is the only fat substitute in the market that can reduce fat intake by up to 92% for every unit of fat replaced without causing adverse effects on the digestive system.

• In May 2022, Spanish food startup Cubiq Foods plans to introduce its first developed fat-based component for plant-based meat substitutes in the United States by 2023. Cubiq Foods' cell-based fat improves food flavor, enriches it with important fatty acids, and provides a solution to minimize trans fats and palm oil in a variety of formulations.

Segmentation:

• By Source
  • Plant
  • Animal
• By Type
  • Carbohydrate
  • Protein
  • Lipid
  • Others
• By Form
  • Liquid
  • Powder
• By Application
  • Processed Meat
  • Bakery and Confectionery
  • Beverage
  • Convenience Food
• By Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • France
    • Spain
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Israel
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • Japan
    • China
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Others