Plant-based ingredient producer Roquette has announced an investment plan of €25m for liquid and powder polyols between 2022 and 2024 at its site in Lestrem (France). The investment is aimed to establish a long-term reliable supply.
The investment will improve equipment efficiency and increase safety standards. It will also help to standardise some industrial operations contributing to an overall production performance improvement. This evolution will ensure a sustainable supply in the market and meet the customers’ increasing expectations for greater flexibility.
According to Euromonitor, the market of healthier food products is expected to grow by about 15% in value between 2021 and 2026. Thanks to the nutritional benefits they offer, polyols are addressing this trend. Produced from plant-based raw materials such as maize or wheat, polyols are mainly used as sugar alternatives in food products such as sugar-reduced or sugar-free confectionery, chocolate, chewing gum, baked goods, or snacks.
Numerous scientific publications support the positive impact of polyols in a healthy and well-balanced diet, Roquette says.
They are also used as excipients in the pharmaceutical sector for oral dosage forms. Directly compressible, polyols can be used in the formulation of all types of tablets, and some are adapted for swallowable, chewable, or dispersible or effervescent tablets. The higher purity grades are also APIs approved by worldwide drug administrations, and widely used in injectable solutions or in dialysis applications.
Pascal Leroy, Senior VP of Core Ingredients, Roquette said: “Today, Roquette is recognized as a global leader in polyols. We are uniquely positioned to address customers’ needs as we strive to be the best partner for the polyols markets, offering a wide range, very well adapted to all markets and backed by a global service and technical assistance network. Thanks to this investment, we will now strengthen the reliability of the supply and our global industrial footprint.”