Foods that are sensitive to oxygen mostly end up deteriorating directly or indirectly after encountering the atmosphere. In many cases, food deterioration is a result of oxidation reactions or the presence of spoilage aerobic microorganisms in the food materials. Therefore, excluding oxygen, while packaging becomes necessary to preserve edibles.

Vacuum packaging has been widely in use to eliminate oxygen in the package before the sealing procedure. However, vacuum packaging is not very effective in removing the oxygen that permeates from the atmosphere into the package through the packaging material.

Rising consumer awareness regarding eating safe and healthy food requires emerging technology that can extend the shelf life and maintain the quality and freshness of food products. Oxygen scavengers protect oxygen-sensitive foods with advanced methods.

What are oxygen scavengers?

An oxygen scavenger is a material composed of one or more reactive compounds with oxygen that is used to reduce the content of oxygen or completely remove oxygen in fluids or enclosed packaging.

Oxygen scavengers’ function to limit the amount of oxygen available for deteriorative reactions to reduce the functionality of various types of products, including food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and several others.

Oxygen scavengers are critical elements for the rapidly expanding food and beverage sector. Growth in the oxygen scavengers’ market is being driven by the increasing usage of oxygen scavengers in active and intelligent packaging and technological developments related to the use of oxygen scavengers.

As packaging is technologically advancing day by day, oxygen scavengers are expected to be more valuable in the future.

According to a report by BIS Research, the global oxygen scavengers market is projected to reach $4.31 billion by 2031 from $2.32 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period 2022-2031.

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The growth of the oxygen scavengers’ market is being driven by the increasing usage of oxygen scavengers in active and intelligent packaging and technological developments related to their usage.

Categories of Oxygen Scavengers

Oxygen scavengers are widely utilized by users in various forms, such as sachets, canisters, stickers, resin, and liquid. The food and beverage sector consumes a considerable amount of the sachets delivered to the marketplace.

Oxygen scavengers are categorized into two types, i.e., organic oxygen scavengers and inorganic oxygen scavengers.

As per the current scenario, inorganic oxygen scavengers are expected to dominate the market by 2031. Organic oxygen scavengers have become the most expensive of the major oxygen scavengers, with rapidly increasing manufacturing costs.

As a result, the rising prices of oxygen scavengers are expected to hinder the market growth during the forecast period.

Application of Oxygen Scavengers in Various Industries

As per the growth outlook of oxygen scavengers, a huge increment in the global market has been observed as they are becoming increasingly attractive to food manufacturers and retailers.

Oxygen scavengers are being utilized by end users, such as food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, chemicals, and others. Food and beverages and pharmaceuticals are some of the most prominent end users globally.

Oxygen scavengers are widely used for packaging, owing to increasing awareness related to sustainable packaging solutions in the food and pharma industry. Moreover, oxygen scavengers are used as corrosion inhibitors for feed and boiler water treatment in oil and gas and chemical industries.

At present, North America, China, and Asia-Pacific are expected to be the prominent regions in the oxygen scavenger’s market. The food and beverage industry in North America is expected to grow significantly on the back of technological advancements, including the development of active and intelligent packaging, and is anticipated to push the demand for oxygen scavengers in the region.

China is expected to lead the oxygen scavengers’ market throughout the forecast period, owing to the presence of a significant number of food, pharmaceutical, and chemical manufacturers in the region.

The growing use of oxygen scavengers in the packaging of food and beverage products is attributed to the increased need for oxygen scavengers.

Conclusion

With the increased replacement of traditional packaging with oxygen scavengers-based active packaging, wastages are expected to decline substantially, thereby bolstering the growth of the oxygen scavengers’ market in the upcoming period.

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