Producer
Corbion N.V.
Dutch biobased ingredient company (Euronext Amsterdam: CRBN, HQ Amsterdam; formerly CSM N.V. sugar/food division); world's largest producer of lactic acid and pharmaceutical-grade lactates via bacterial fermentation of corn starch and sugar. Corbion's Purac® pharmaceutical sodium lactate (formerly Purac Biochem, now Corbion Pharmaceutical Ingredients) meets USP/EP requirements for injectable sodium lactate used in Lactated Ringer's solution. Corbion is simultaneously the leading pharma sodium lactate supplier, the leading polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic monomer supplier (LUMINY® PLA for packaging, 3D printing, medical devices), and a major food ingredient company (lactic acid as preservative E270, emulsifiers for baked goods). One Dutch company is the foundational supplier for: hospital Ringer's IV bags, compostable coffee cups, biodegradable 3D printing filament, and artisan bread shelf life extension — all from the same bacterial fermentation process using corn starch as feedstock. Corbion operates fermentation plants in the Netherlands (Gorinchem), Thailand (lactic acid capacity), and USA (Blair NE).
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2 inputs Corbion N.V. supplies
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Pharmaceutical Lactates (Purac/Ringer's)
25%PLA Bioplastics (LUMINY)
30%Food Ingredients (Lactic Acid E270)
30%Industrial & Cosmetics Lactic Acid
15%
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Did you know2023
Corbion (Amsterdam, formerly Purac) is the world's largest lactic acid producer and uses the same bacterial fermentation process to supply four radically different markets simultaneously: (1) pharmaceutical sodium lactate for Lactated Ringer's IV solutions in hospitals; (2) LUMINY® polylactic acid (PLA) for compostable bioplastic packaging, 3D printing filament, and biodegradable medical devices; (3) food preservation E270 lactic acid for bread, dairy, and meat products; and (4) cosmetics (lactic acid as a gentle exfoliant in skincare). The same Gorinchem, Netherlands fermentation plant that converts corn starch to lactic acid produces the buffer in hospital IV bags, the compostable coffee cup material at Starbucks, the shelf-life extension in artisan bread, and the alpha-hydroxy acid in face wash. Corbion was spun off from CSM N.V. (a Dutch sugar company) in 2013 — meaning the pharmaceutical supply chain for Ringer's solution traces back to the European sugar industry.
Corbion N.V. ↗Origin2023
Corbion was created in 2013 when CSM N.V. -- a Dutch company that had been one of Europe's largest sugar companies since 1919 -- spun off its lactic acid and food ingredient operations. CSM had diversified from sugar production into specialty food ingredients and biobased chemicals through the 20th century, including acquiring Purac Biochem (the world's leading lactic acid fermentation company). The Corbion spin-off separated the biobased chemicals and ingredients business from CSM's bakery ingredients business (which became Aryzta). Corbion's Purac heritage traces to the Royal Dutch Fermentation Industries, which pioneered industrial lactic acid fermentation from sugars in the Netherlands in the 1930s. The pharmaceutical sodium lactate in hospital Lactated Ringer's IV bags traces back through this Dutch industrial fermentation heritage -- a 90-year-old fermentation technology initially developed for food preservation is now a pharmaceutical-grade injectable solution ingredient. Corbion's simultaneous pharmaceutical, bioplastics, and food ingredient businesses all use the same bacterial fermentation process, making them production-linked: a fermentation capacity constraint at Gorinchem affects IV solution sodium lactate, compostable packaging PLA monomer, and food preservative lactic acid simultaneously.
Corbion N.V. ↗