Food Sterilization Equipment Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Process, By Technology (Heat, Steam), By Application (Spices, Seasonings, Herbs, Fruits & Vegetables), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global food sterilization equipment market size was estimated at USD 646.0 million in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% over the forecast period. The market is driven by growing concerns regarding food safety, along with consumer shift toward canned and processed foods across the globe.

Busy lifestyles, long working hours, and limited leisure time have increased the population’s reliance on convenience foods. Also, demand for ready-to-drink beverages and packaged products has grown among the working population. This has led to the need for improved safety, driving the demand for food sterilization equipment.

Manufacturers in application industries are looking for machines that improve operational efficiency, reduce cost, increase uptime, and minimize energy and footprint requirements. Sterilization equipment manufacturers like JBT Corporation and Allpax products are focusing on providing automation solutions to processed food manufacturers to meet their changing requirements.

The food processing industry is a mature sector that is going through a turbulent period owing to growing consumer demand for increased food safety and higher sustainability and quality. To increase the shelf life of these products, while keeping in line with stringent government regulations, food processing manufacturers have started investing in sterilizing equipment, which is anticipated to spur market growth over the coming years.

Demand for organic food is growing rapidly, especially in North America and Europe. Stringent government regulations about product labeling and packaging for canned products, coupled with consumer inclination toward a healthy lifestyle, are expected to hinder market growth in the two regions over the forecast period.

Manufacturers are focusing on product innovations and are investing in offering new sterilizers with improved efficiency and ease of operation. Continued investments in low-temperature sterilizers have resulted in reducing processing times and improving cost efficiency, thereby resulting in increasing equipment demand over the forecast period.

Process Insights

In terms of process segmentation, the market is categorized into a batch and continuous sterilization. Batch sterilization is expected to contribute to 56.4% of the overall market revenue by 2025 owing to its lower equipment costs, easy manual control, and lower chances of contamination. The segment finds applications in sterilizing low acid foods such as melons and vegetables as it does not affect the organoleptic properties.

In terms of revenue, the continuous sterilization equipment segment is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.6% as it uses steam or direct heat for shorter heating and cooling periods, which reduces sterilizing time and cost. Also, continuous sterilizers offer consistency and enhanced reproducibility at a lower cost per unit produced and hence finds application in sterilizing soups, pasta, nutritional drinks, milk, cream, vegetables, infant formula, mushrooms, meats, juices, and ready meals.

Batch sterilizers are highly preferred as they offer improved product, container, and process flexibility, resulting in surging product demand over the forecast period. However, the continuous sterilization process offers a prolonged shelf life of packaged and processed food products as compared to the batch process, owing to its continuous process and improved efficiency.

Technology Insights

In terms of technology, the food sterilization equipment market is categorized into heat, steam, radiation, chemical, filtration, and others. Steam sterilization is a widely used technology as it produces safe and high-quality foods at low costs. The sterilization process not only extends the shelf life of food products but also enhances their nutritional quality.

The steam sterilization segment is anticipated to account for 30.0% of the overall revenue by 2025 owing to its ease of operation, flexibility, cost efficiency, and environment-friendly nature. However, irradiated foods are generally more palatable in comparison to conventionally sterilized foods, resulting in surging the demand for this segment soon.

Food irradiation is a technology that improves the safety and extends the shelf life of products by eliminating and hindering microbial growth. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved gamma rays, x rays, and electron beam for food and medical products sterilization. The food irradiation sterilization technique finds its application in crustaceans, beef, pork, poultry, lettuce and spinach, fresh fruits and vegetables, shell eggs, and spices, and seasonings.

Ethylene oxide is the most commonly used chemical for sterilization for products that can be damaged by methods involving moisture, heat, and radiation. This sterilization technique is highly used in the dried fruit industry to hinder microbial spoilage in prunes and protect it from insects.

Application Insights

In terms of application, the market is categorized into spices, seasonings, and herbs, meat, poultry, and seafood, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, juices and beverages, grains, and others. Surging demand for authentic flavors, coupled with growing consumer preference for readymade spices across the globe, is expected to increase demand for spices, seasoning, and herb sterilizing equipment over the forecast period.

The juice and beverage segment has evolved substantially in recent years. Growing demand for authentic and ready-to-drink products is augmenting product innovation and development in the industry. With the growing demand for fresh and cold-pressed juices with fewer preservatives, demand for sterilizing equipment is increasing as they help in extending the shelf life of products by maintaining the nutrition level and flavors.

Consumption of flavored milk drink and dairy products is likely to rise at a significant pace on account of their ready-to-use formulations, high nutritional content, health benefits, and changing consumer lifestyles. This factor, along with growing demand for exotic and distinguished combinations in dairy products, is projected to augment market demand for food sterilization equipment over the next few years.

Regional Insights

The Asia Pacific is projected to witness robust growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of leading countries such as India, China, Japan, and Australia. Increased consumer spending on ready meals and prevalent health awareness on account of rising consumption of canned food is expected to drive the market.

China is likely to emerge as one of the promising markets for sterilization equipment due to stringent government policies on baby food packaging, which are promoting investments in the food and beverage manufacturing sector. This will create numerous opportunities for equipment manufacturers.

The per capita demand for dairy is expected to grow consistently in developed regions like North America and Europe owing to a rise in incomes and dropping dairy prices, which is expected to boost demand for sterilizers over the forecast period. Besides, changing consumer shift toward convenience food, which requires specialized machinery for packaging, processing, and serving, is anticipated to boost product sales over the coming years.

The U.K. is a highly developed and market-oriented economy. Post BREXIT, U.K.-based companies are focusing on domestic supply chains, thus increasing the number of manufacturers across all the industries. As a result, a favorable legal and regulatory environment, coupled with a coherent industrial strategy, is expected to drive the U.K. market. Also, standardization in raw material prices is likely to increase competition among suppliers, thereby reducing product cost.

Food Sterilization Equipment Market Share Insights

Privately held players in the market have shown remarkable progress over the years owing to various factors, particularly product differentiation. These players have been operating in competition with public companies to maintain their market share through product differentiation and innovation.

Major players have adopted sustainable solutions, which include taking into account the environmental and social impacts of their operations to reap long-term benefits and ease the availability of raw materials. Manufacturing plants include mechanized robotics and facilities, equipped with raw material handling, storage facilities, and testing centers.

The market for food sterilization equipment exhibits the presence of a large number of global and regional players such as JBT Corporation, Hisaka Works Ltd, Allpax Products LLC, Systec GmbH, and Ventilex. The companies operate through a vast product portfolio with an option of product customization based on client requirements. Key market players are involved in the production of advanced design features and technologies to tap rising consumer demand and strengthen their presence in the market.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global food sterilization equipment market report based on process, technology, application, and region:

• Process Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Batch Sterilization

  • Continuous Sterilization

• Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Heat

  • Steam

  • Radiation

  • Chemical

  • Filtration

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Spices, Seasonings, and Herbs

  • Meat, Poultry & Seafood

  • Dairy Products

  • Fruits & Vegetables

  • Juices & Beverages

  • Grains

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • France

    • Germany

    • Italy

    • Spain

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • Australia

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa