CJ BIO announced Feb. 3 its intention to produce feed-grade arginine at its plant in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, beginning early in the second quarter of 2020.

L-arginine use has grown as more customers consider increased amino acid use while lowering total crude protein in animal diets, the company said, noting that it expects to supply both North and South America from the Iowa plant.

CJ will now be producing three important amino acids in the U.S., having begun threonine production at its original Iowa lysine plant in the fourth quarter of 2019.

“We are pleased to announce this growth in our United States manufacturing base, expanding our locally produced portfolio,” said Joe Lucas, CJ BIO America vice president and general manager — Animal Nutrition. “We will shift from lysine production for a period of time to launch locally produced L-arginine to our customers in North and South America. They will now have a secure supply of L-arginine to complement our other domestically produced amino acids. We have built adequate lysine inventory to supply our customers' demand during this period, with some moderate growth expected.”

“We are pleased to continue working closely with our production team in Ft. Dodge and the state of Iowa to grow our production base,” Harry Jang, head of CJ BIO North America, added.

CJ BIO is a division of CJ CheilJedang, a core subsidiary in charge of the food and bioengineering business unit of South Korea-based CJ Group. CJ Group has developed its business portfolio into four core sectors: Food & Food Service, Bio & Pharma, Entertainment & Media and Retail & Logistics.