Foreword
Gelatin is a product made from animal bones, skins, muscles, tendons and scales after moderate hydrolysis (acid process, alkaline process, acid/alkaline process or enzymic method) and purification. In China, gelatin is divided into gelatin, capsule gelatin, and food additive gelatin. Among them, gelatin is included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2020 Edition), Volume II, its category is “absorbable hemostatic agents”, and its formulation is “absorbable gelatin sponge”; capsule gelatin is included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2020 Edition), Volume IV, and its category is “pharmaceutical excipients, used in hard capsules, etc.”; the standard for food additive gelatin is the National Food Safety Standard Food Additive - Gelatin GB 6783-2013. The National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Usage Standard GB 2760-2014 clearly defines the uses of gelatin as food additives: when used as a “thickener”, food additive gelatin can be used in all kinds of food in appropriate amounts according to production needs; when used as a “clarifier”, food additive gelatin can be used in the processing of fruit wine and wine.
China’s economy and export business was affected by COVID-19 in 2020, however, China’s export of gelatin and its derivatives grew considerably, which was because gelatin and its derivatives, as good animal proteins, can be widely used in biological pharma and food industries. According to statistics, the export volume of gelatin and its derivatives in China in 2020 was 9,146,898 kg, and the export value was RMB275,551,220, both of which grew greatly compared with the past. See Table 1 for the relevant data of China’s export of gelatin and its derivatives from 2017 to 2020.
Table 1 China’s Export Volume and Value of Gelatin and Its Derivatives in Recent Four Years
We can see from the above table that China’s export volume of gelatin and its derivatives has increased year by year since 2017, with annual growth of more than 45%. At the same time, China’s export value of gelatin and its derivatives has also increased year by year since 2017, with annual growth of more than 15%.
Statistical analysis shows that both the export volume and value of gelatin and its derivatives have increased year by year since 2017, but the unit price has decreased year by year. See Table 2 for the relevant data of the export unit price of gelatin and its derivatives from 2017 to 2020.
Table 2 China’s Export Unit Price of Gelatin and Its Derivatives in Recent Four Years
We can see from the above table that China’s export volume and value of gelatin and its derivatives have increased year by year since 2017, but the unit price has decreased year by year because: firstly, the technology of manufacturers of gelatin and its derivatives in China has developed significantly over time and their operating costs have been effectively controlled and reduced so that gelatin and its derivatives have room for price reduction, with their price reduced year by year; secondly, gelatin and its derivatives were in short supply for a period after the “toxic capsule incident” in 2012, and the price of gelatin and its derivatives rose rapidly, which attracted a large amount of capital to enter the industry, and a group of new gelatin manufacturers were built in China; in the meantime, the original gelatin manufacturers expanded their capacity, resulting in the overcapacity of gelatin and its derivatives and oversupply...
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