Curcumin, also known as curcuminoid or acidic yellow, has the chemical formula C21H20O6 and a molecular weight of 368.38. Curcumin is a natural phenolic antioxidant extracted from the rhizomes of plants such as turmeric (containing 3-6% curcumin), galangal, mustard, curry, and cardamom. Its main chain consists of unsaturated aliphatic and aromatic groups, and its structure is a bicyclic heptane. It is both a diketone compound and a rare bioactive substance with a diketone structure in the plant kingdom. Curcumin has the effects of anti-tumor, antioxidant, antibacterial, liver protection, and lowering blood lipids, and is therefore widely used in the fields of medicine, food, breeding (feed), and daily chemical products.
The rapidly growing market of curcumin
Due to the increasing preference of consumers for natural and healthy ingredients and the growing demand in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and personal care industries, the turmeric market is expanding. The growing awareness of turmeric’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and health benefits is driving its widespread application in functional foods, dietary supplements and natural cosmetics. Advances in processing and extraction technologies, including improvements in the purity and bioavailability of curcumin, have enhanced product quality and variety, making turmeric more attractive to diverse consumer groups. The growing trend towards clean labels, organic and sustainable products has further driven the demand for high-end turmeric varieties.
According to a research report, the market size of turmeric is expected to be approximately 490 million US dollars in 2025, and is projected to grow to 840 million US dollars by 2035, with a compound annual growth rate of about 5.5% over the next decade.
As the global food, retail and healthcare industries continue to prioritize natural and functional ingredients, the outlook for the turmeric market remains optimistic. As producers focus on quality, traceability and advanced formulations, turmeric is expected to experience strong growth and gain wider international recognition.
With the continuous deepening of research on curcumin, its extensive pharmacological activities and characteristics have gradually been discovered by people, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lipid-regulating, antiviral, anti-infective, anti-tumor, anticoagulant, anti-liver fibrosis, and anti-atherosclerosis, as well as having low toxicity and small adverse reactions (side effects). Currently, curcumin, as one of the world’s largest-selling natural food colorants, is approved by the World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration, and many countries as a food additive. Curcumin can not only be used as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, but also has chemopreventive properties, providing extensive preventive effects on various diseases. The occurrence of many human diseases is closely related to the formation of free radicals and inflammatory responses. Therefore, the antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin have attracted widespread attention from scholars at home and abroad. In addition, curcumin is not only used in the breeding (feed) industry because the feed containing curcumin can improve the meat quality, color, immunity, etc. of poultry and fish; but also used in daily chemical products because curcumin can have the effects of hair care (hair dyeing), whitening, skin lightening, and skin rejuvenation. The uses of curcumin in health aspects are actually very extensive. As early as 5000 years ago in the Ayurvedic system, curcumin was a documented treatment for various respiratory diseases (such as asthma, bronchial hyperactivity and allergies) and liver diseases, anorexia, rheumatism, diabetes wounds, runny nose, cough and sinusitis. There are as many as 227 clinical studies on curcumin in the US Clinical Information Repository, while in South Africa, the Capsicum frutescens has only 16 studies. A review published in “Food” in 2017 systematically reviewed the research on the efficacy of curcumin on human health. The conclusion confirmed that through a large number of studies, curcumin is indeed beneficial to human health.
Post time: Apr-13-2026