The Muscle Mag
The completion of the 2,230 sqm facility expansion was announced by the company, with Frédéric Boned, Senior VP & General Manager, Human Nutrition & Health at Balchem, expressing enthusiasm: “We’re excited about the successful expansion of our VitaCholine manufacturing capacity. This milestone showcases our dedication to providing a larger supply of high-quality human choline to support our partners’ global growth in early childhood nutrition, dietary supplements, and food & beverage applications.”
Choline
Interest in choline and its cognitive health benefits has been on the rise in recent years, especially in the realm of maternal and infant health: In mid-2017, the American Medical Association urged higher choline levels in prenatal vitamins.
These calls are crucial given data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicating that 90% of children, adults, and pregnant women are not meeting their choline requirements. The Adequate Intake (AI) for adults is 425 mg/day for women and 550 mg/day for men.
For pregnant women, the situation is particularly concerning due to choline’s role in infant neurodevelopment. (Recommendations increase to 450 mg for pregnant women and 550 mg for breastfeeding women.)
While much research has focused on the benefits for infants, such as a 2018 study showing how increased choline intake during pregnancy enhances newborn cognitive capacity, there is growing interest in choline’s impact on cognitive function across all ages.
Data from Google Trends reveals a steady increase in searches for the term ‘Choline,’ reaching +55% compared to 2020.
This heightened interest is attributed to consumers becoming more aware of the numerous health benefits associated with choline, including cognitive support. Cognitive health is the fastest-growing category, with a +7.2% increase in 2022 compared to the industry’s overall growth of +1.9%.
Sustainability
The 50% boost in choline production capacity came with notable technological upgrades, such as new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as packaging automation to enhance environmental conditions, as stated by Balchem in a press release. These new installations will improve air quality and process consistency to optimize heat and humidity regulation for superior product quality.
Balchem has also introduced energy-efficient systems and initiatives to minimize water and waste, aligning with its sustainability objectives and commitment to the United Nations Global Compact.
“We are actively expanding our global presence to deliver quality ingredients to all markets,” highlighted Boned. “This expansion reinforces our U.S. supply chain and, combined with our VitaCholine facility in Italy and K2VITAL site in Norway, positions us well for future growth.
“Our global reach, along with the synergy among our integrated branded ingredients, provides formulators with a scientific edge in key health areas, unlocking new opportunities.
