Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Group Inc., a subsidiary of Ajinomoto Co. Inc., says it will construct a new plant at its Iowa-based Ajinomoto Heartland Inc. (AHI), in order to enhance the production capacity of a rumen protected lysine, AjiPro-L (AP-L), and to expand its sales in the marketplace.
Through the expansion, the company aims to grow AP-L as one of the driving forces in the animal nutrition business along with other existing products such as lysine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.Lysine, an essential amino acid for dairy cattle, cannot be utilized by ruminant animals as effectively as by monogastrics like chickens and pigs because of the complicated digestion and absorption systems that are specific to ruminants. After years of research and development, the company says it has successfully developed a technology that enables lysine to bypass the rumen and be absorbed in the small intestine of ruminant animals.
AHI launched commercial production and sales of AP-L in April 2011. In order to meet the growing demand by customers, the company aims to expand its production capacity to more than 10,000 tons per year by FY2016.
The first step is to increase production capacity by 5,000 tons per year in 2014. In addition, it plans to strengthen its competitiveness through continuous investments in research and development for upgrading the efficacy of the product. PD
—Ajinomoto Co. news release
