The development trends and opportunities in the health-oriented snack industry are mainly reflected in the following aspects: Development Trends Healthier Ingredients: Consumers’ focus on health continues to rise, with over 67% of consumers prioritizing calorie labels when purchasing snacks. Low-sugar, low-fat, low-salt, high-fiber, and additive-free have become key directions for snack ingredient development. For instance, low-fat potato chips, low-fat yogurt, and chicken crisps containing zero sucrose and zero trans fats have gained popularity among consumers. Diversified Functions: The variety of functional health snacks is growing rapidly. Snacks containing ingredients such as melatonin and magnesium for better sleep, wellness snacks with traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, and healthy snacks made from spirulina and flaxseeds are meeting consumers’ diverse health needs. Innovative Processing Techniques: Low-temperature baking, freeze-drying, non-fried methods, and low-temperature dehydration are gaining attention. These techniques help better preserve the nutritional content of ingredients while reducing the formation of harmful substances. Examples include freeze-dried fruits and plain nuts seasoned only with minimal additives. Everyday Consumption Scenarios: Snack consumption scenarios are becoming increasingly segmented. In addition to traditional leisure settings, demand is rising in contexts such as office environments, fitness activities, and meal replacements. Konjac air cakes and yam sesame crisps can serve as breakfast options, while konjac oatmeal and low-sugar egg yolk pastries can be used as meal replacements. Eco-Friendly Packaging: Eco-friendly packaging has become a new competitive edge for brands. Green-packaged snack brands attract consumers through low-pollution production and positioning as healthy, low-calorie products. Development Opportunities Growing Market Size: By 2025, China’s health snack market is projected to reach nearly 400 billion RMB, with an annual compound growth rate exceeding 15%. The market holds enormous potential. Strong Potential in Niche Segments: Snack markets targeting specific groups such as children, seniors, and pregnant women remain largely untapped. For example, current senior-friendly snacks are limited in variety, and there is an urgent need to step up R&D efforts for new products. Additionally, niche segments like plant-based snacks and probiotic snacks are showing promising growth trends. Expansion of Online Channels: The growth of e-commerce platforms provides health snacks with broader sales channels and more convenient shopping experiences. Companies can strengthen their partnerships with e-commerce platforms and explore new channel strategies such as social media marketing to reach wider consumer audiences. Brand Differentiation and Competition: Building brand images with distinctive advantages and storytelling-based marketing strategies can help capture consumer attention and foster brand loyalty. Companies can enhance their competitiveness by innovating product development and optimizing supply chains. International Cooperation and Expansion: Leveraging international resources and technological collaborations for product innovation, and expanding into overseas markets through export businesses—such as low-sugar, additive-free health snacks that are in high demand in markets like Europe, the U.S., Japan, and others.

The processing of puffed snacks primarily revolves around “creating a porous, crispy texture in the raw materials.” The core process can be broadly categorized into two main types: fried puffing and non-fried puffing. Different processing methods directly influence the snack’s texture, fat content, and health attributes. I. Fried Puffing Process This is a traditional and widely used method that rapidly dehydrates and expands raw materials through high-temperature frying while simultaneously absorbing oil, resulting in a crispy texture. Working principle: After being shaped, the raw materials—such as mashed potatoes or dough—are deep-fried in edible oil heated to 160–200°C. As the internal moisture heats up and vaporizes, the materials expand into a porous structure, while oil permeates deeply into the interior. Characteristics: The snacks have a rich, crispy texture with a pronounced aroma. However, they tend to have a relatively high fat content (typically ranging from 20% to 40%) and are relatively high in calories. Common products: Traditional fried potato chips, fried shrimp crackers, fried kua ba, puffed chicken nuggets (snack category). II. Non-Fried Puffing Process To meet the growing demand for healthier snacks, non-fried puffing processes have gradually become mainstream. These methods either eliminate or significantly reduce the use of oil, achieving puffing through heat, pressure, or airflow. 1. Baking (Roasting) Puffing Working principle: Shaped raw materials—such as potato chip blanks or rice cake blanks—are placed in an oven and heated using hot air or infrared radiation at temperatures between 180–220°C. This causes the internal moisture to evaporate and expand, while the surface dries out and becomes crisp. Some products may be brushed with a small amount of oil before baking to enhance flavor. Characteristics: Low fat content (typically ranging from 5% to 15%), lower calorie count, and a slightly “crisp” texture that preserves the natural aroma of the raw ingredients. Common products: Non-fried roasted potato chips, baked rice cakes, roasted purple sweet potato crisps, roasted nut-based puffed snacks. 2. Extrusion Puffing Working principle: Grain powders—such as corn flour, wheat flour, or potato starch—and other raw materials are fed into an extruder, where they are mixed and cooked under high temperature (120–180°C) and high pressure (3–10 MPa). The mixture is then extruded through a die. When the material comes into contact with air, the pressure drops suddenly, causing the internal moisture to vaporize instantly and form a porous, puffed structure. Characteristics: The process allows for direct one-step shaping (e.g., strips or rings) without the need for additional frying. The fat content is extremely low (some products may be sprayed with oil afterward for flavor), and production efficiency is high. Common products: Wheat rings, puffed corn sticks, non-fried shrimp crackers, rice fruit rolls, cereal bars (based on puffed grains). 3. Air Puffing (Air Expansion) Working principle: Whole grains—such as rice, corn, or oats—or small pieces of raw materials are placed in a sealed container and heated to high temperature and pressure (150–180°C, 2–5 MPa), allowing the internal moisture to fully heat up. Then, the container is quickly opened, causing a sudden drop in pressure. The pressure difference between the inside and outside instantly expands the materials, forming a light and fluffy puffed product. Characteristics: The entire process uses no oil, resulting in virtually zero fat content and the lowest calorie count. The texture is exceptionally light and crispy, with a mild flavor that best preserves the natural taste and nutrients of the raw ingredients. Common products: Air-puffed rice flakes, oil-free corn crisps, hollow potato crisps, puffed millet wafers.

The core ingredients of jelly primarily revolve around two key requirements: “gel formation” and “flavor and texture.” The basic components are relatively fixed and can be broadly categorized as follows: 1. Core gel-forming ingredients: These determine the jelly’s shape and texture. They are crucial for enabling the jelly to set and take form, and fall into two main categories: Natural gelling agents: Extracted from plants or animals, these ingredients are highly safe and provide a chewier, more bouncy texture. Common examples include agar (derived from seaweed, with strong gelling properties and a firmer texture), carrageenan (also sourced from seaweed, capable of forming elastic gels and serving as the mainstream ingredient in commercially available jellies), and gelatin (obtained from animal collagen, offering a soft and tender texture but requiring refrigeration; some vegetarian jellies avoid using it altogether). Starch-based ingredients: Some traditional or low-cost jellies use starches (such as cornstarch or potato starch). After being heated and gelatinized, these starches cool down and solidify, resulting in a softer, chewier texture with lower transparency.