A spokesperson for BASF told us it is not releasing concrete information on the investment sum and the exact scope of this capacity extension.
"However, the expansion is significant and will enable us to carry out a far greater number of fermentation runs per year," he added.
The revamped enzyme plant is already operational.
As animal protein consumption and the inclusion rate of feed enzymes to reduce feed costs continues to increase, there is heightened global demand for feed enzymes, noted BASF. The extra capacity, it said, enables it to meet that growing global demand.
Feed enzyme production at the company's Ludwigshafen site first got underway back in 2006 and BASF's feed enzyme portfolio includes products such as Natuphos E, Natugrain TS and the recently launched Natupulse TS
New mannanase-based enzyme
December last year saw BASF launch Natupulse TS. Backed by multiple feeding trials, that enzyme is designed to improve nutrient digestion and make feed more cost-effective and sustainable.
It contains the enzyme mannanase, which degrades non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) such as mannans.
“Natupulse TS helps monogastric animals like poultry and swine to better digest nutrients – making animal protein production more sustainable. It particularly improves the nutrient digestibility of feeds containing raw materials with a high ß-mannan content: soybean meal or guar meal etc.
“In one of our feeding trials, with broilers fed a corn-soy diet, we found improved nutrient digestibility resulting in higher final weights. In addition, amino acid digestibility was improved by an average of +2.4%,” BASF told us back then.
BASF also reported an additional positive effect from the combination of Natupulse TS with Natuphos E – phytase - and Natugrain TS - xylanase + glucanase - on nutrient digestibility and feed utilization in trials.
