May 29, 2007

Alltech to expand its SSF facility in Mexico

Alltech's solid-state fermentation (SSF) plant in Serdan, Mexico will triple in size to accommodate the increase in enzyme production.

The concern on the rising costs of raw materials has been increasing as large amounts of corn have been diverted for use in ethanol production. Mark Lyons, Alltech's director of international projects said the situation has prompted the animal feed industry to look and develop alternative raw materials.

SSF is used to develop substitute raw materials for animal feed such as cellulose. Alltech's expansion of SSF will include the addition of two fermentation chambers that measure five times the size of the existing chambers while fibre-handling and enzyme recovery systems will also be installed.