Darling Ingredients commissions peptides production plant in Belgium

Darling Ingredients’ Rousselot business has started collagen peptides production at its manufacturing site in Ghent, Belgium.

The commissioning is said to be part of Rousselot’s collagen peptide expansion strategy.

Darling Ingredients chairman and CEO Randall Stuewe said: “Expanding our global production of hydrolyzed collagen is an important part of our strategy moving forward.

“Our Rousselot business has been producing bovine collagen peptides in Brazil and porcine collagen peptides in Angoulême, France and we have recently completed construction of a new state-of-the-art production unit dedicated to fish collagen peptides in Angoulême as well.”

The company noted that the Ghent facility is one of Rousselot’s key collagen production site, which is engaged in the development of porcine collagen.

Additionally, Ghent location houses the Rousselot Expertise Center, which combines global research and development centre, the EMEA application labs and the Pilot Hall that was opened last year.

With the commissioning of the collagen peptides production, Rousselot Ghent will be now well-positioned to serve the market for collagen peptides globally.

Beginning next month, the new facility will produce fish collagen peptides that will be delivered to Rousselot’s customers worldwide.

Rousselot Angoulême has also started producing bovine collagen peptides to capitalise on the growing market.

Rousselot executive vice-president Jos Vervoort said: “It was vital to review our production and supply chain organisation and to build new production capabilities, able not only to respond to the strong collagen market growth but also to produce the collagens of superior quality that our customers and the consumers demand.”

Construction for the collagen peptides facility in Presidente Epitacio, Brazil, will continue and is expected to be completed in October.

Once completed, Darling will have four facilities engaged in the production of bovine, porcine and fish collagen peptides.