Agrana and Amalgamated to form crystallised betaine JV

Austrian ingredients producer Agrana and The Amalgamated Sugar Company, which will ensure the construction of a €40 million betaine crystallisation plant at Agrana’s sugar mill in Tulln, Lower Austria.

Betaine is manufactured from sugar beet molasses and has numerous practical applications, as it can be used in food supplements and sports drinks, as well as in animal feed and cosmetic products.

Work on the new crystallisation plant is intended to start in early 2019, and Agrana claims that Tulln will become the world’s third high-quality crystalline betaine production site.

Agrana estimates that the construction of the plant will take approximately a year, and the formation of the joint venture is subject to approval by Austria’s anti-trust authorities.

Johann Marihart, CEO of Agrana Beteiligungs-AG said: “Amalgamated is one of the world’s leading providers of the technology which extracts top-quality crystalline betaine from sugar beet molasses. We look forward to a successful partnership.

“Our investment in additional capacity and more value-added increases our competitiveness during what is presently a difficult situation in the sugar market in terms of prices.”