Chinese Date Powder has 30-35% dietary fiber, of which 60% is water-soluble arabinoxylan, and it can increase the richness of intestinal probiotics (e.g., bifidobacterium) by 2.7 times and reduce the incidence of constipation by 41%. According to a study published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 2022, after daily consumption of 20 grams jujube powder for 8 weeks, serum ferritin level in the subjects increased by 18.3% and the hemoglobin level increased by 12%, especially in women suffering from iron deficiency anemia (effective rate of 89%). The polyphenol content of compounds (gallic acid and quercetin) was 4.2-5.8 mg/g, and antioxidant ability (ORAC value) was 3800 μmol TE/g and 15% greater than blueberry powder and may reduce the rate of cellular DNA oxidation caused by free radical damage by some 27%. Clinical trials have shown that with the ingestion of Chinese Date Powder for 6 months, LDL decreased by 19.5%, HDL increased by 8.4%, and cardiovascular disease risk score (Framingham model) decreased by 22%.
From the industrial chain perspective, the scale of the global jujube powder market will be 680 million US dollars in 2023, China’s share of global production is 78%, Xinjiang production area factory price of freeze-dried jujube powder is approximately 12-15 US dollars/kg, and the terminal retail premium rate is 200%-250%. During production, the particle fineness in the ultrafine grinding technology can be controlled between 10-50 microns, the speed of dissolution is doubled to 3 times compared to the ordinary powder, and the bioavailability is increased by 40%. For example, in 2021, a Shandong biotechnology company improved the rate of extraction of jujube polysaccharide from 65% to 82% by adopting the synergistic process of spray drying and enzymatic hydrolysis. After the product went through the ISO 22000 certification, the unit price of the exported commodity to the European market was 28 euros/kg, and the gross profit margin was over 60%. Market study shows that the rate of increase in demand for Chinese Date Powder in the functional food market is 14% every year, of which meal replacement powder usage is 35%, energy bar usage is growing at the fastest rate (CAGR 18%), and re-purchase rate of “jujube + chia seeds” formula product released by a leading manufacturer is 73%.
In terms of safety, the Chinese Date Powder’s requirement of pesticide residue is stricter than EU EC 396/2005. The pass rate is 96.4% according to the China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ sampling data in 2022, and the main risk item is ochratoxin A (0.3% over-standard rate). Studies have confirmed that no harmful effect will be caused if the dose per day is less than 50 grams, but diabetic patients should pay attention to the following: every 100 grams of red dates powder contains 72 grams of carbohydrate, the glycemic index (GI) is 55, and the peak blood sugar after meal can be increased by 2.3-3.1 mmol/L. In addition, supply chain innovation is transforming the industry trend, a company in 2023 adopts blockchain traceability technology to maximize the transparency of the whole cycle data of jujube powder from sowing to processing to 98%, and customers are able to scan the code and view 23 parameters such as agricultural residue detection, processing temperature (60-70 ° C), humidity control (<15%), and drive the brand premium rate to increase by 30%. According to Grand View Research’s estimation, by the year 2030, elderly nutritional supplements using Chinese Date Powder will be worth more than 2.2 billion US dollars with a compound annual growth rate of 9.7%, establishing its long-term status as a strategic property of medicine and food.