Alltech opens trace mineral production facility in Vietnam

Alltech has opened its newest Bioplex trace mineral range facility in Vietnam, it is the first organic mineral production plant in that Southeast Asian country.

The ISO 22000:2018 certified plant’s production capacity is 7,000 metric tons per year, and it has the potential to create 100 new jobs, said the animal nutrition specialist.

Bioplex minerals are trace minerals that are bound to amino acids and a range of peptides. The company said the range is supported by over 21 years of research. “The minerals are readily absorbed, stored and utilized by the animal, supporting overall health, immune status and reproductive function,” ​claims the supplier.

The new plant will serve local customers as well as import/export activity.

Dynamic market 

Dr Mark Lyons, president, and CEO of Alltech, said the company’s move to enhance mineral production in Asia reflects its confidence in the market’s continued growth.

Feed production in Vietnam increased nearly 7% in 2021, according to the Alltech Agri-Food Outlook, the company’s annual global feed production survey.

Vietnam’s total feed production in 2021 was 18.5m Mt, led by the swine sector with 7.84m Mt - an increase of nearly 20% over 2020. Aqua feed production increased 40% in 2021 to 6m Mt, broiler feed increased 9% to 2.12m Mt, layer feed production increased 11.7% to 2m Mt and dairy increased 22% to 520,000 metric tons, as per that data source.

Sustainable production 

The firm said this new production facility in Vietnam was engineered to reduce the environmental impact of production:

• The use of CNG versus fuel oil, a common fuel source in Vietnam, is expected to reduce the mineral plant’s nitrogen dioxide emissions by 80% and carbon monoxide emissions by 87.5%.
• The facility uses high-pressure clean-in-place (CIP) pumps for tank cleaning, reducing wastewater by 50%.
• Its dust collection system is 99% efficient.
• The use of invertor motors saves electricity consumption by 5% by utilizing variable frequency drive (VFD), which also allows for the control of speed and torque to reduce chances of mechanical failures.
• The production system uses fluid bed drying (FBD) technology, which requires 48% less thermal consumption than conventional spray dryers.

The company, which is headquartered just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, US, said the new facility also utilizes the Alltech Q+ mineral quality control program that it says guarantees quality, safety and performance in each batch.