We hope you enjoy these Hydrocolloid Tidbits. If at any time you wish to stop receiving them, simply click "unsubscribe" at the bottom. If you wish to receive them at a different email address, click on 'update profile' at the bottom of this email. If you received this as a forwarded message and want to add your name to our Hydrocolleague list, just click on the IMR Logo in the header to this message.

IMR does not accept advertising but we welcome sponsorships for these free tidbits to help us defray the cost of producing them. Contact us for more detail about sponsorship cost/benefits.

Six more registrations since last week. We are nearing sold-out status. There is some space available and a few rooms left at the conference rate. If you are considering attending, contact IMR.

101 attendees.

Target of 100+ achieved.

Two Gold sponsors and one Bronze sponsor.

Presentations represent 100's of hours of preparation by global experts.

Excellent socializing and networking opportunities.

A small group with outsized influence - A little like Malta itself.

Attendee list HERE (Registered attendees can access contact details)

Attendee list pdf file HERE. (no username or password needed. Company-Title-Country

Conference agenda HERE.

Speaker list HERE

Registration HERE

A special thank you to our Conference Sponsors including recently added Alginor:

Media Partners:

Last week we "remembered when seed prices of €2.00/kg was thought to be sustainable and fair." A clarification is necessary. Those were the thoughts, about 30 years ago, of LBG buyers rather than the farmers or producers of LBG. Even at that time, LBG suppliers thought that seed prices of €4.00-6.00/kg would be a sustainable threshold. It would slow or reverse the trend for cutting down wild trees in favor of real estate. These prices may also encourage the establishment of new carob farms. Despite severe price fluctuations, demand for LBG has steadily increased over the years/decades. A tribute to the unique and valued properties of this workhorse specialty hydrocolloid.

Indications are that a seed price level of Euro €6.00-8.00/kg is necessary now to incentivize growth of carob plantations and generate needed raw material to meet long term LBG demand.

A reminder that IMR has no commercial activity in any hydrocolloid. We have nothing to gain or lose by any price movement in any hydrocolloid. Our intent is to reflect as accurately as possible developments in the world of hydrocolloids.

Issue number 128 of The Quarterly Review of Food Hydrocolloids has been issued and shipped to clients. If your company is an E-copy recipient, the report should be in the inbox of the designated recipients. Printed copies should reach US clients by the end of this week and international clients by the middle of next week.

The usual detailed coverage including import/export analysis for the US is found in this 75 page report. There is some easing of tensions in some hydrocolloids but it is still a tough situation in several other hydrocolloids. The plant based movement remains important but growth rate leveled off. A few brief extracts from the 75 page report:

ALGINATES - The prices of viscosifying grade alginates (high “M” mannuronic acid type) are coming down slightly and are roughly $***-***/kg FOB. Under current market conditions Chinese alginates are only slightly lower in price than western alginates. The gelling grade of alginates (High “G” guluronic acid) is around $2.00-4.00/kg higher than the viscosifying grade for Chinese origin and $5.00-6.00/kg higher than viscosifying grade for western gelling grade alginates. Propylene glycol alginate is produced in significant quantity by only two companies, Kimica with production in Japan and Chile and Bright Moon (partly owned by Kimica) with a plant in China. Currently, the price of PGA is at $***-***kg fob. 

The table of Contents for Q1-2023 is HERE.

If your company is not already a subscriber, the confidentiality/subscription agreement is HERE.

The two small alginate facilities are in Landerneau and Lannilis in Brittany, France. Both are now owned by Rettenmaier (JRS) of Germany. Each facility had gone through a series of acquisitions and divestments but had never been owned by the same parent. This union will make JRS one of the three largest alginate producers in the Western world, the other two being Kimica with production in Japan and Chile, and IFF with production in Norway.

Alginor is a new producer of alginates in Norway and will present at the IMR conference in Malta. We are aware of a another alginate plant in development but not sure of launch date or even if finance is available for completing the project. China has several producers and is probably the largest supplier of alginates in food and non-food applications.

A new source of guar seeds and guar gum has come to our attention. The new supplier is based in Mexico and cites specific advantages over production of guar in India and/or Pakistan. A new source of supply in a totally different geographic regions could help alleviate the dependence on adequate monsoonal rains in India and Pakistan. Contact details for this new producer have been provided in the Q1-2023 issue of The Quarterly Review of Food Hydrocolloids. IMR will monitor this important hydrocolloid development closely.

Agar - 8 tonnes excess inventory. Located in Mexico.

Carob Seeds Available - 25-30 tonnes of seeds available in Europe. Yes the price of LBG continues to decline but remains well above pre-crisis levels - for now.

Contact IMR International to be connected with the seller.

Highly experienced Sales Manager with 15 years of gelatin and collagen sales. Self-motivated, team player, and new business developer. Extensive knowledge of gelatin and collagen markets and managing key accounts. Dedicated lifelong sales career in the food ingredients industry (34 years).

Sales and Commercial Development Manager. East coast based. In depth experience in multiple hydrocolloids gained with several hydrocolloid multi-nationals. Immediately available.

Technical Sales Manager-East Coast based.

Experience in hydrocolloids or flavors.

Self starter and team leader potential.

Key account management responsibility.

Bachelor’s Food Science

Master’s Food Science or Business an added plus, 7-15 years experience in sales and applications of hydrocolloids, flavors, or fiber ingredients.

Contact IMR in full confidence to be connected with the candidate or the hiring company. In the interest of full disclosure IMR will receive a small finder's fee from the hiring company, if and only if a candidate is hired.

Regards,

Dennis Seisun - +1-858-776 2930 dseisun@hydrocolloid.com

Nesha Zalesny - +1-619-871 1415 nzalesny@hydrocolloid.com