However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

30+ innovations will shape the consumer industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the consumer industry using innovation intensity models built on over 12,000 patents, there are 30+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, microencapsulated proteins, plant based cheese substitutes, and texturized vegetable proteins are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Beverage pods, edible oil non-spreads and recombinant steviol glycosides are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are anabolic muscle supplements and protein-fortified beverages, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the consumer industry

Filled confectionery manufacturing is a key innovation area in consumer

Filled confectionery manufacturing is primarily used in sugar and baked confectionery to add flavour to the final food product. The fillings are usually in liquid or semi-solid form. The manufacturing process involves forming empty shells that are then filled with flavoured ingredients and allowed to settle by drying or refrigeration.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 360+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established consumer companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of filled confectionery manufacturing.

Key players in filled confectionery manufacturing – a disruptive innovation in the consumer industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to filled confectionery manufacturing

Mondelez International is the leading patent filer in filled confectionery manufacturing. Some other key patent filers in the space include Mars, Nestle, Kraft Heinz, Cargill, and Lotte. Lotte Confectionery (now Lotte Wellfood), the confectionery wing of South Korea’s conglomerate Lotte, released a non-sugar snack brand “Zero” targeting the country's rapidly growing domestic zero-sugar product market in 2022. Products under the brand include chocolate chip cookies, chocolate bars, and frozen cola.

In terms of application diversity, Suddeutsche Zuckerrubenverwertungs-Genossenschaft leads the pack. Sanofi and Wuhu Sanshan District Green Food Industry Association stand in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, TopGum Industries holds the top position, followed by Sanofi and Goli Nutrition.

Consumers around the world are increasingly looking for innovative food items that have unique flavours and tastes. Hence, leading food manufacturers will use filled confectionery manufacturing to launch new products with novel fillings to cater to a wide variety of consumers. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the consumer industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Consumer.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.