Analytical Instrumentation Market in Food Testing Market Size

Food Testing Analytical Instrumentation Market Analysis

The analytical instrumentation market in food testing is anticipated to record a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. The food industry requires analytical instrumentation solutions for various reasons, such as verifying the shelf-life, authenticity, maintenance of food safety, and regulatory compliance. Food manufacturing companies are adopting analytical instrumentation solutions worldwide with new food safety challenges and issues.

• The most common analytical methods used in the food and beverage industry are for monitoring and testing food safety, nutrition, and quality. These tests include chemical, microbiological, and physical contaminants to achieve compliance with local, national, and international regulations. Food contamination causes severe damage to the consumer and the brand's reputation. The increasing investments in the food processing industry are expected to act as a major driver for adopting analytical instrumentation solutions.
• Several companies in the market are striving to advance their existing technologies and integrate new technologies to enable augmented efficiency in food testing. For instance, in February 2022, Agilent Technologies acquired advanced AI technology developed by Virtual Control, an AI and ML software developer that creates innovative and efficient analysis solutions in lab testing. Agilent may integrate the software, known as ACIES, into its gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GS/MS) platforms to improve the productivity and accuracy of high-throughput labs served by the company globally. Several industries, such as food testing, agriculture, environmental, and applied materials, are claimed to benefit from Agilent's acquisition of the technologies.
• Numerous companies are also launching new products to cater to the evolving and complex needs of their customers. For instance, in June 2022, PerkinElmer announced the launch of its new GC 2400 Platform, an automatic gas chromatography (GC) headspace sampler and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) solution for food safety analyses intended to help technicians simplify laboratory operations, obtain precise results, and perform flexible monitoring. The platform integrates systems, software, various columns, and consumables for high-throughput laboratory environments and complex applications.
• The scope of analytical instrumentation has further expanded for food applications. Clinical diagnostic testing is emerging as a significant application as it was a considerable bottleneck during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vendors offered various solutions for the detection of COVID-19. For instance, recently, PerkinElmer Inc. launched two COVID-19 environmental testing kits to help food processors and contract labs detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces such as food plants. The company also launched a series of explorer workstations for SARS-CoV-2 testing, capable of preparing and running up to 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day using analytical instruments.
• However, the maintenance costs and other indirect expenses increased the total cost of ownership of these analytical instruments. According to LabCE, the maintenance, reagents, supplies, controls, calibration, and depreciation costs result in USD 3.61 per test. Thus, the high cost of analytical instruments is an important factor restraining the market's growth. However, in the mass spectrometry segment, the cost and size of mass spectrometers may reduce while the instrument's capabilities may increase. Mass spectrometers with high sensitivity and resolving power are available in sizes suitable for liquid and gas chromatographs.