The Hamburg lipid companies Berg + Schmidt and Sternchemie are investing in a deoiling plant for the production of pure soybean lecithin. The capacity of the first phase of construction will be 4,000 tonnes p.a. 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 soybean 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 percent—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.