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Samyang Corporation has completed construction of its Specialty Plant located in Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea.
The site is the result of a KRW 140 billion (approx. $105 million) investment. It consists of two buildings, one for allulose production and the other for prebiotics, and spans a total floor area of 22,150 square metres.
The allulose plant has an annual production capacity of 13,000 tons, representing a more than 400% increase over Samyang's previous capacity. According to the company, this makes it the largest allulose manufacturing facility in the country. The plant is designed to produce both liquid and crystalline forms of allulose, which Samyang notes is particularly advantageous for export.
The prebiotics plant produces resistant dextrin and fructo-oligosaccharide powder. Resistant dextrin is a soluble dietary fibre and a functional ingredient known for its benefits in promoting normal bowel movements, controlling post-meal blood sugar spikes and improving blood lipid levels. Fructo-oligosaccharide, another type of health functional food ingredient, supports the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria and aids in bowel regularity.
Samyang expects the Specialty Plant to offer differentiated solutions by combining allulose with prebiotics, expanding its market presence in North America, Japan, Southeast Asia and beyond.
Allulose is a natural sweetener that is about 70% as sweet as sugar but contains no calories. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) excluded allulose from the total and added sugars counts on food labels due to having ‘virtually no calories.’ Offering a sweetness comparable to fructose, allulose also mimics the taste of sugar through caramelisation when heated, making it an ideal next-gen alternative sweetener.
Samyang developed liquid allulose using its proprietary enzyme technology in 2016 and began mass production in 2020. That same year, the company received Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) certification from the FDA.
The company says it is 'close’ to securing novel food approval in Australia and New Zealand, paving the way for further market growth. With these initiatives, Samyang aims to more than double the revenue share and international sales ratio of its speciality business by 2030.
Choi Nag-hyun, CEO of Samyang Corporation, said: “We have successfully completed the phased construction plan of the comprehensive Specialty Plant to strengthen our specialtiy business strategy. With the establishment of the largest allulose plant in Korea, we are committed to enhancing our competitiveness in the domestic and international alternative sugar markets.”
Nag-hyun added that the plant “will serve as a growth engine for the next 100 years of Samyang Group's food business and will become a core base for providing health and wellness value to our customers both domestically and globally”.
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