Food-Grade Silicon Dioxide as an Anti-Caking Agent: Top 3 Downstream Products by Usage Volume

Created on 09.24

Food-Grade Silica as an Anti-Caking Agent: Top 3 Downstream Products by Usage Volume

Based on the application scenarios and market data of food-grade silica anti-caking agent (also known as edible silica anti-caking agent), the top three downstream products with the largest usage volume are dairy products (milk powder/whey powder), condiments (salt/chicken essence/compound seasonings), and solid beverages (coffee powder/protein powder) in sequence. This article elaborates on the application characteristics, market drivers and compliance standards of food-grade silicon dioxide usage in these fields.

Dairy Products (Milk Powder, Whey Powder, etc.)

Core Demand Driver: Silica in milk powder (especially infant formula milk powder) and silica for whey powder are in high demand due to the inherent properties of dairy products—fine particles and strong hygroscopicity make them extremely prone to caking. As a key food additive silica (anti-caking), silica absorbs moisture and forms a physical barrier on the particle surface, which significantly improves fluidity during production and reconstitution for consumers.
Market Scale Support: The global dairy industry boasts a massive scale. In China alone, the annual consumption of infant formula milk powder exceeds 1 million tons, and the food-grade silica addition level here is usually 0.5%-2%, directly making dairy products the largest application field of food-grade silica anti-caking agents.
Compliance Requirements: International standards (e.g., FAO/WHO) stipulate that the maximum silica usage standard in milk powder is 10g/kg, while China's GB 2760-2024 food silica regulation allows 15g/kg in milk powder, providing policy guarantees for its large-scale application.

Dairy products with food-grade silica as an anti-caking agent

Condiments (Salt, Chicken Essence, Compound Seasonings)

High-Usage Scenarios:
Edible Salt: Refined salt has fine particles and strong moisture absorption, so silica for edible salt is widely used with an addition level of approximately 0.1%-0.3%. China's annual salt consumption exceeds 10 million tons, creating a steady demand for silica.
Chicken Essence & Compound Seasonings: These products have complex components (salt, sugar, amino acids, etc.), so chicken essence anti-caking silica and silica for compound seasonings are essential. The addition level is usually 1%-3%, and the market scale of China's compound seasonings is expected to reach 250 billion yuan in 2025, with a growth rate far exceeding that of traditional condiments, driving up silica demand.
Spices: Powdered spices like pepper powder and chili powder have large surface areas, so silica in spices (pepper/chili powder) is needed to maintain fluidity, with an addition level of 1%-2%.
Technology Substitution Trend: Although anti-caking agents such as potassium ferrocyanide are still used in some edible salt, high-purity silica for food is gaining increasing popularity in high-end salt (e.g., low-sodium salt, sea salt) due to its food silica safety & no off-odor advantages.

Condiments with food-grade silica for anti-caking

Solid Beverages (Coffee Powder, Protein Powder, Milk Tea Powder)

Industrial Production Demand: Solid beverages require uniform fluidity in large-scale production. For example, silica in coffee powder and protein powder anti-caking silica can effectively prevent the "bridging" phenomenon during filling, ensuring smooth production. The food-grade silica addition level here is usually 0.5%-2%, and milk tea powder silica additive also follows a similar standard.
Driven by Consumption Upgrade: With rising health awareness, the market for functional solid beverages (e.g., protein powder, meal replacement powder) is growing rapidly. Data shows that the annual output of ready-to-drink coffee and solid milk tea in China increased by 18.7% year-on-year, directly driving functional solid beverages silica demand up by 13.2%.
Special Scenario Application: High-end products like maternal and infant formula food and sports nutrition powder have strict requirements for anti-caking agent purity. Silica becomes the first choice due to its strong stability, which is in line with the demand for high-purity silica for food.

Solid beverages with food-grade silica as an anti-caking agent

Other Important Application Fields

Baking Premixes: Flour, cake powder, and other baking premixes add silica (addition level: 0.1%-0.5%) to improve processing performance and prevent caking. Although China's baked food market has an annual scale of over 250 billion yuan, the usage of anti-caking agents is relatively scattered, so it is not among the top three.
Healthcare Products: Vitamin powder, mineral supplements, and other healthcare products add silica (addition level: 0.5%-2%) to maintain fluidity. Despite the rapid growth of the healthcare product market, its overall usage is still lower than that of the top three categories.
Oil Products: Non-dairy creamer and powdered oil use silica to adsorb oil and convert it into stable powder, with an addition level of about 1%-3%. These products are widely used in coffee mates and milk tea but have limited overall demand compared to the top three.

Data Support and Trend Analysis

Market Share Proportion: Dairy products, condiments, and solid beverages account for more than 70% of the total usage of food-grade silica anti-caking agent. Specifically, dairy products account for about 35%, condiments about 30%, and solid beverages about 25%, reflecting the dominant position of these three categories in food silica anti-caking application.
Growth Potential:
Dairy Products: The demand for high-end food silica application (organic milk powder/hydrolyzed milk powder) is growing, which will continue to drive the increase in silica usage in the dairy field.
Condiments: Under the trend of salt reduction and sugar reduction, compound seasonings have higher requirements for functional anti-caking agents, further boosting condiment silica demand.
Solid Beverages: The popularity of personalized nutritional products (e.g., customized protein powder) and instant scenarios (e.g., portable coffee packs) will bring incremental growth to solid beverage silica demand.

Conclusion

The top three products with the largest usage of food-grade silica as an anti-caking agent are dairy products (milk powder/whey powder), condiments (salt/chicken essence/compound seasonings), and solid beverages (coffee powder/protein powder). This ranking is determined by food-grade silica market share, addition proportion, and industry growth potential. Dairy products and condiments occupy a dominant position due to their high industrialization level and large consumer base, while solid beverages are rapidly emerging driven by health and convenience trends, jointly promoting the steady development of the food-grade silica anti-caking agent market.

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