The report provides a detailed analysis essential for establishing a calcium ascorbate production plant. It encompasses all critical aspects necessary for calcium ascorbate production, including the cost of calcium ascorbate production, calcium ascorbate plant cost, calcium ascorbate production costs, and the overall calcium ascorbate production plant cost. Additionally, the study covers specific expenditures associated with setting up and operating a calcium ascorbate production plant. These encompass production processes, raw material requirements, utility requirements, infrastructure needs, machinery and technology requirements, manpower requirements, packaging requirements, transportation requirements, and more.
Calcium ascorbate is a stable salt of ascorbic acid with calcium that is utilised in pharmaceuticals as a non-acidic supplement. It is used to treat scurvy, boost immunity, aid wound healing, collagen synthesis, and support intravenous therapies for cancer and anti-ageing. It works as an antioxidant additive (E302), preservative against oxidation and enzymatic browning in fruits, vegetables, meats, juices, bakery items, and beverages. It provides dual fortification of vitamin C and calcium with pH-neutral stability. It improves animal feed for poultry, livestock, and aquaculture to promote growth, immunity, and bone health. It is added in cosmetics for stable antioxidant formulations and in nutraceuticals to fortify supplements.
The calcium ascorbate market is fuelled by its growing demand in dietary supplements, food fortification, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, and cosmetics. The increased health awareness, immunity focus, ageing populations, clean-label trends, and e-commerce growth contribute to its market growth. The innovations in formulations like gummies and effervescent tablets expands its applications further. The industrial calcium ascorbate procurement is influenced by volatile raw material prices from glucose-derived ascorbic acid, dominated by China. Also, supply chain disruptions, purity grades for pharma applications, supplier certifications, and sustainable sourcing demands affect its sourcing. The elevated production costs relative to ascorbic acid, regulatory hurdles across pharmacopoeial standards, and counterfeit risks affect its market.
Raw Material for Calcium Ascorbate Production
According to the calcium ascorbate production plant project report, the key raw materials used in the production of calcium ascorbate include ascorbic acid and calcium carbonate.
Production Process of Calcium Ascorbate
The extensive calcium ascorbate production cost report consists of the following major industrial production process:
- From ascorbic acid and calcium carbonate: The production of calcium ascorbate starts by first synthesising ascorbic acid from glucose or corn starch via microbial fermentation. This ascorbic acid is then dissolved in water, and calcium carbonate is gradually added to neutralise and form the calcium salt. This is followed by cooling to room temperature, crystallisation, filtration and drying calcium ascorbate as the final product.
Calcium ascorbate has the molecular formula of C12H18CaO14 with a molecular weight of 390.31 g/mol. It appears as a white to slightly yellow, odourless, almost tasteless crystalline powder. It has a bulk density of around 1.6-1.8 g/cm³ with a melting point of around 166 degree Celsius, with decomposition. It has high thermal and light stability compared to ascorbic acid. It shows excellent water solubility, slight solubility in ethanol, practical insolubility in ether and most organic solvents. It has a specific optical rotation of +95 degree to +97 degree with low moisture retention and acts as a strong reducing agent and antioxidant. It has redox potential similar to that of ascorbic acid while resisting oxidation in neutral pH environments.