French fermentation specialist Lesaffre has completed the acquisition of Biorigin, a business unit of Brazilian sugarcane giant, Zilor.
Through Lesaffre's 70% stake in Biorigin, the company will gain access to the company's yeast derivative and savoury ingredient solutions suitable for both the human food and animal feed markets.
This follows on from the original initiation of the partnership between Lesaffre and Zilor, which was jointly announced in October 2024.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lesaffre and Zilor will create a joint venture to deliver natural, yeast-based ingredient solutions globally — accelerating the delivery of customer-centric solutions in key markets worldwide.
The partnership will leverage Biorigin's production unit and R&D centre in São Paulo, which houses three laboratories, a pilot plant and an application centre.
Following the acquisition, Zilor will continue to run its production unit for ethanol and brewer's spent yeast for animal nutrition.
Zilor will also maintain the commercial rights to its yeast-based products for pet and livestock nutrition produced at its Lençóis Paulista and Macatuba sites.
This joint venture will benefit Lesaffre's business unit, while reinforcing its position as a "key player in the human food, animal nutrition, pet supplement and aquaculture markets," the company stated in a press release.
The companies have also "committed to minimising their environmental impact through the implementation of best practices and ongoing enhancements," highlighting each respective companies' ongoing efforts to become carbon neutral.
