As part of the Munich-based WACKER’s realignment of its sales structures in Asia, the company says that it will entrust the DKSH Group with marketing and distribution of WACKER biotech products in the regions of Southeast Asia, India – including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – and South Korea as of October 2012.
The product portfolio comprises biotech cyclodextrins, as well as vegetarian-grade – i.e. fermentation-generated – cystine and cysteine. These WACKER products are primarily used in food and beverages, as well as in personal care and household products.
“The partnership with DKSH will significantly strengthen WACKER’s position in Southeast Asia, a region in which we see growing demand, particularly for our biotech products and solutions,” said Heiko Zipp, director of the Nutrition business team at WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS, WACKER’s biotech and life-sciences division.
The DKSH Group provides services to enterprises expanding into Asia. A Swiss company with headquarters in Zurich, DKSH has 650 offices in 35 countries worldwide and focuses on industry-specific fields of competence such as consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, specialized raw materials and technology.
WACKER’s involvement in R&D for biotech products such as cyclodextrins began in the early 1980s, and the company says that it is now the global market leader in this segment. Cyclodextrins can be used to mask an unpleasant taste in food, stabilise sensitive food ingredients or increase the bioavailability of certain active agents. They can also be deployed as soluble fibres. WACKER claims to be the only company in the world to produce vegetarian-grade cystine and cysteine using an award-winning biotech process. Cysteine is an amino acid that is used as a raw material in aroma production or for bakery use.
