January 10, 2013
Berg+ Schmidt and Sternchemie invest in lecithin plant in Singapore
Press release
A deoiling plant for the production of pure soy lecithin will be established in Singapore by the Hamburg lipid companies Berg + Schmidt and Sternchemie.
The capacity of the first phase of construction will be 4,000 tonnes annually of deoiled lecithin. The plant will have state-of-the-art design and meet all ISO, GMP and HACCP requirements. Production is due to start in the second quarter of 2013.
At a total world consumption of some 250,000 tonnes, vegetable lecithins are one of the most important natural emulsifiers. With over 50 years of experience in the lecithin industry, Volkmar Wywiol, the owner of the Lipid Companies Berg + Schmidt (feed) and Sternchemie (food) ranks among the international pioneers in the development and marketing of lecithin products.
The increasing popularity of convenience foods and better feed conversion is making ever-greater demands on deoiled soy lecithin in powder form. Managing Director H.V. Bhawe of Berg + Schmidt Asia, Singapore, explains the growing demand by the fact that "unlike other emulsifiers, lecithins have a threefold effect". They supply the metabolic system with essential nutrients; they increase the digestibility of fat, and finally they are powerful emulsifiers. "The viscous lecithins with their large proportion of crude oil- around 35%- are no longer concentrated enough for many applications, both in the food industry and in the field of animal nutrition", Bhawe adds.
Berg + Schmidt and its partners already have a special plant for the production of deoiled lecithin in India, but this is working to capacity for the local market in India. Managing Director Andreas Reith from Berg + Schmidt in Hamburg confirms that "With our new location in Singapore we can make better use of logistic advantages in the procurement of raw materials and in exports, for the benefit of our customers around the world."
The lecithin deoiling plant in Singapore is the first in South-East Asia. Generous storage tank capacities and separate production lines will make it possible to manufacture both GMO lecithins and IP/non-GMO lecithins in powder and granulated form in accordance with all international requirements.
Berg+Schmidt GmbH & Co. KG is a member of the owner-managed, independent Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. For 33 years the group has been among the enterprises operating successfully on an international level in the world of Food and Feed Ingredients. The eleven specialist firms that make up the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe produce a wide range of functional systems for food, animal nutrition and the oleochemical industry. Berg + Schmidt has been working in the field of feed fats and other feed ingredients for over 50 years.