Roquette invests US$28M to advance liquid and powder polyols

23 Mar 2022 --- Plant protein and pharmaceutical excipients expert Roquette has invested €25 million (US$27.5 million) in its Lestrem, France site to boost production of liquid and powder polyols by 2024. The investment is intended to facilitate a reliable supply of polyols.

Polyols are produced from plant-based raw materials such as maize or wheat. They are primarily used as sugar alternatives in food products such as sugar-reduced or sugar-free confectionery, chocolate, chewing gum, baked goods or snacks. 

Pascal Leroy, VP, Core Ingredients, Roquette tells FoodIngredientsFirst: “Sugar reduction is on top of nutritional reformulation. Regarding healthy confectionery, consumer health perception impacts new product developments mainly concerning sugar intake.”

Sugar and calorie reduction are top positionings in the category. “Thanks to Roquette's polyols, it is possible to formulate creative sugar-free confectioneries, from tablets to chewing gums. Polyols are principally used as sugar replacers in food products, a major advantage over intense sweeteners being their bulking property,” says Leroy. 

Polyols, such as sorbitol, mannitol or xylitol, can be found naturally in some fruits or vegetables in significant quantities. Roquette produces them from naturally occurring compounds in wheat and maize.  

Nutritional solutions gain elevated status
Driven by the fast-increasing trend for healthier and sustainable food and lifestyle, the demand for nutritional solutions is increasing significantly. 

The investment will improve equipment efficiency and increase safety standards. It will also help to standardize some industrial operations contributing to an overall production performance improvement. It is a strategic decision to address long-term customer expectations.Polyols help with the formulation of tablets. (Credit: Roquette)

Polyols are also key excipients for the pharmaceutical sector. Directly compressible, polyols help the formulation of all kinds of tablets. Some are adapted for swallowable, chewable, dispersible or effervescent tablets.

“The use of polyols also has benefits for healthy teeth. Dental plaque, a sticky bacterial film that develops on dental enamel, reoccurs after every meal. Those microorganisms feed on sugar fermentation, produced by destructive acids attacking the teeth’s enamel,” explains Leroy.  

“Neither sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol nor xylitol produce acids or cause tooth decay due to the fact that they are not metabolized by the oral bacteria. This effect is guaranteed thanks to the strict quality controls Roquette applies,” Leroy continues.

The higher purity grades are also Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API)-approved by worldwide drug administrations, and widely used in injectable solutions or in dialysis applications.

In addition, polyols are also essential ingredients for oral care applications relying on key properties and functionalities such as non-crystallizing humectant, non-cariogenic or shelf-life enhancer.

Roquette has promoted polyols in oral dosage forms. The Lestrem site is the largest polyol plant in the world, according to Roquette.   

“The group addresses current and future societal challenges by unlocking the potential of nature to offer the best ingredients for food, nutrition and health markets,” says Leroy. 

In previous moves in this space, Barentz aims to become the exclusive North American distributor for ACT Polyols. The Pakistan-based manufacturer sets its sights on big growth in the clean label market with its non-GMO, rice-derived sweeteners and protein isolates. 

By Inga de Jong

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