Evonik expands tryptophan capacity in Slovakia

The tryptophan plant will be expanded to a final capacity of 2,000 tonnes/year, with significant additional volumes coming on stream by August 2011.

 

The expanded production line takes advantage of a significant improvement of the company’s proprietary technology. In addition to that, the infrastructure of the site has been re-organized, leading to a leaner and more efficient operational set-up.

 

“Through these changes, we believe the competitiveness of our European biotechnology manufacturing platform is further elevated,” explains Dr. Walter Pfefferle, head of the bioproducts business line. “And besides tryptophan, this platform also continues to successfully manufacture threonine, valine, isoleucine and proline.”.

 

The expansion complements two recent expansion announcements of Evonik’s Health & Nutrition business unit, namely the expansion of its methionine production line scheduled for completion in 2014 and the expansion of its Biolys production in Blair, USA.

 

The current Biolys capacity will be nearly doubled by August 2012 with first additional quantities already being available in November this year.

 

L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid which is still in an emerging stage in animal nutrition. It cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore needs to be ingested by the animal with the feed.

 

An optimal tryptophan to lysine ratio enhances feed intake, weight gain and the nutritional value of the feed, while nitrogen excretion is reduced by balancing the dietary crude protein content to the animal’s requirement.

 

Related website: Evonik Industries