Press release
Animal Nutrition
June 14, 2016

Evonik adds L-valine to its amino acid portfolio for animal nutrition

Essen. Evonik has launched L-valine (ValAMINO®), the fifth essential amino acid for animal nutrition in the company’s portfolio. It will make swine and poultry feed more efficient and sustainable.

L-valine is needed for protein biosynthesis in the organism of animals and forms part of all important proteins. The low valine content of plant-based raw feed materials frequently limits the utilization of other protein building blocks. Valine is the fifth limiting amino acid in pigs, and the fourth limiting in poultry.

The addition of ValAMINO®, along with MetAMINO® (DL-methionine), Biolys® (L-lysine), ThrAMINO® (L-threonine) and TrypAMINO® (L-tryptophan), allows to further reduce crude protein content of feed without any loss of animal growth performance. This results in lower feed costs and conserves natural resources in agricultural feed production, which in turn reduces land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and potential eutrophication and acidification. In this manner, targeted amino acid supplementation contributes to the sustainable supply of animal protein for a growing world population.

ValAMINO® is produced by fermentation. The product has been registered Europe-wide and the market launch has started. “We are now able to offer customers the five key essential amino acids for animal nutrition from a single source–along with our wide range of services,” noted Dr. Emmanuel Auer, head of the Animal Nutrition Business Line at Evonik. “This is further proof of our leadership in this field.”

Evonik has over sixty years of experience in the manufacture of essential amino acids and provides solutions for efficient and sustainable animal nutrition to customers in over one hundred countries. Evonik strives to make an even greater contribution to the efficiency of animal feed by including innovative feed additives beyond amino acids in its portfolio in order to create additional value for its customers. Evonik’s products and services in the area of animal nutrition play a key role in the worldwide production of healthy and affordable food, while preserving natural resources and reducing the ecological footprint.

About Evonik

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals, operating in the Nutrition & Care, Resource Efficiency and Performance Materials segments. The company benefits from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. In 2015 more than 33,000 employees were employed at Evonik.

About Nutrition & Care

The Nutrition & Care segment is led by Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH and contributes to fulfilling basic human needs. That includes applications for everyday consumer goods as well as animal nutrition and health care. This segment employed about 7,000 employees in 2015.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.