[Research on the market and industry development of foods containing microbial food cultures in China in 2025].

Authors

Yingying Wu, Miao Guo, Yue Zheng, Huiting Fang, Wei Wang, Yuan Meng, Jingxia Ma, Shuang Zhang, Xuefeng Cai, Jing Xiao

Published in

Wei sheng yan jiu = Journal of hygiene research. Volume 55. Issue 4. Pages 544-553.

Abstract

To systematically investigate the Chinese food market for food-grade microbial strains in 2025, clarify the fundamental attributes such as the concept, classification, and efficacy types of these strains, analyze differences in domestic and international policies, standards, and management models, assess the current market development status and core issues.
A combination of literature review and field survey was adopted. First, the evolution, definition, classification system, and efficacy types of food-grade microbial strains were systematically reviewed. Second, differences in the policy frameworks and management models for food-grade microbial strains between domestic and international contexts were compared. Finally, based on survey data collected from 470 ordinary food products containing food-grade microbial strains from July to October 2025, quantitative and qualitative analyses of market size, product characteristics, and existing issues were conducted.
The food-grade microbial strains have a long history of application, with their concepts and classifications continuously refined as biotechnology advances. In 2022, both domestic and international lists of microbial strains were updated, and the reclassification of lactobacilli had a significant impact on the food industry. The Chinese market for food-grade microbial strains showed sustained growth, reaching a terminal market size of 134.89 billion yuan in 2024. Products were diversifying and becoming more refined, with composite microbial agent-containing products dominating the market. However, issues such as non-standard labeling, unauthorized functional claims for ordinary foods, and insufficient support for food-grade microbial strain testing technology persisted. Additionally, while both domestic and international regulations prioritized safety and emphasized strain-specific characteristics, notable differences existed in regulatory classification, approval process design, and health claim requirements.
The Chinese food market for food-grade microbial strains has significant growth potential. However, addressing existing issues requires multifaceted measures, including strengthening full-chain supervision of labeling standards, improving the inspection and testing technology system for food-grade microbial strains, strictly regulating the functional claims of ordinary foods, and enhancing the core competitiveness of domestic enterprises. These efforts will help resolve current market challenges and promote the industry's sustainable development toward standardization and high quality.

PMID:
42543225
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Aug 2026.

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