Evonik to build methionine plant in the US

German specialty chemicals company Evonik Industries has begun construction of a new plant to produce Mepron, a special formulation of the amino acid methionine that is used in dairy cow nutrition, in Mobile, Alabama (USA). A special coating protects the amino acid from undesired degradation in the rumen. The new plant is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2015. The investment is in the low double-digit-million-euro range.
 
Patrik Wohlhauser, Executive Board member and Chief Operating Officer, Evonik, explained, “The investment strengthens our position as the world's leading supplier of amino acids. We continue our strategy of offering amino acids also for special applications in addition to MetAMINO, which is used mainly in poultry and pig feed. This opens up new growth opportunities for our amino acid business.”
 
Dr Reiner Beste, Head of Evonik's Health & Nutrition Business Unit, said, “The new plant for Mepron will give us a direct presence in the important US dairy cow market.” The USA, which has the world's largest number of high yielding dairy cows, is the most important sales region for Mepron. A similar potential exists in the European Union. The United States are responsible for about 12.5 percent of the global milk production.
 
Mepron improves profitability of milk production. When Mepron is used in dairy cow rations, farmers can reduce the amount of crude protein in the feed with no adverse effect on performance. This lowers the total feed costs for the producer and increases the profitability of dairy cow farming.
 
Methionine is one of the essential amino acids that higher organisms need to ingest. If dairy cows lack methionine, they cannot utilise their feed protein properly. The main application for Mepron is feed for high yielding dairy cows. These animals have an especially high demand for methionine, which is provided in conventional rations through high amounts of protein in the feed. The number of high yielding dairy cows is increasing throughout the world. One of the reasons for this is the improvement of the efficiency of farming.