Roquette invests €25 million to strengthen position in the polyols market

Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients, a pioneer of plant proteins and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients, announced today an investment plan of €25 million for liquid and powder polyols between 2022 and 2024 at its site in Lestrem (France). This major investment will establish a strong reliable supply in the long run and strengthen Roquette’s position as a leader in polyols.

In a challenging and fast-moving environment, Roquette remains deeply committed to upgrading its facilities. Investing in polyols was and remains a strategic decision for the group to better address long-term customer expectations.

Roquette’s site in Lestrem is the largest polyol plant in the world offering a wide variety of products. This 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. This evolution will ensure a sustainable supply in the market and meet the customers’ increasing expectations for greater flexibility. 

Roquette’s site in Lestrem, France, is the largest polyol plant in the world offering a wide variety of products. (Photo 

© Roquette)

Polyols for healthier and tasty food

Driven by the fast-increasing trend for healthier and sustainable food and lifestyle, the demand for nutritional solutions is dramatically increasing. According to Euromonitor, the market of healthier food products is expected to grow by about 15% in value between 2021 and 2026. Thanks to the nutritional benefits they offer, polyols are addressing this trend. Produced from plant-based raw materials such as maize or wheat, polyols are principally used as sugar alternatives in food products such as sugar-reduced or sugar-free confectionery, chocolate, chewing gum, baked goods, or snacks. The numerous scientific publications on the nutritional benefits of polyols for the human body evidence the positive impact of polyols in a healthy and well-balanced diet.

Polyols as key products for the pharmaceutical market

Polyols are also key excipients for the pharmaceutical sector. Thanks to Roquette’s superior quality standards, polyols are well known and appreciated as pharmaceutical excipients in oral dosage forms. Directly compressible, polyols help the formulation of all types of tablets, and some are adapted for swallowable, chewable, or dispersible or effervescent tablets. The higher purity grades are also APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) 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.

According to Pascal Leroy, Senior Vice-President of Core Ingredients at Roquette: “Today, Roquette is recognised as a global leader in polyols. We are uniquely positioned to address customers’ needs as we strive to be the best partner for the polyols markets, offering a wide range, very well adapted to all markets and backed by a global service and technical assistance network. Thanks to this investment, we will now strengthen the reliability of the supply and our global industrial footprint.”