Evonik launches new plant-based squalene

Speciality chemical company

Evonik has launched a plantbased alternative to shark liver oil-derived squalene for vaccines and other pharmaceutical applications.

Squalene is typically sourced from deep-sea shark livers, a non-sustainable and non-scalable resource. It is used as an ingredient in adjuvants, which are added to vaccines – including some for influenza and COVID-19 - to boost immune system response.

Evonik said on 6 December that its PhytoSquene ingredient was the first known amaranth oil-derived squalene on the market for use in adjuvants in parenteral dosage (non-oral) forms.

“It is alarming that biodiversity across our planet is declining at a rapid rate. That’s why we are excited about empowering our customers to create products that preserve biodiversity and ... deliver high-quality treatments to patients,” Thomas Riermeier, head of Evonik’s Health Care business line, said.

PhytoSquene is made from the oil of amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus) which is an herbaceous plant cultivated in many parts of the world.

Compliant with European Pharmacopoeia specifications, the use of PhytoSquene involved no risk of pathogenic transmission, Evonik said. PhytoSquene also provided an alternative for patients who could not use animal-derived products for cultural or religious reasons.

Non-GMP (good manufacturing practice) samples of PhytoSquene were now available, Evonik said, with GMP quality samples to follow this year.

Mitsui proposes bio-PET plant for packaging

Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co has proposed building a bioplastics factory in the southeastern region of the USA, creating one of the largest production sites worldwide for plantbased packaging material, Nikkei Asia reported on 14 December.

Involving an estimated US$550M investment, the proposed 400,000 tonnes/year bio-polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics factory could open in 2025, the report said.

Mitsui has signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based chemical company Petron Scientech to explore setting up the joint venture, Nikkei Asia wrote.

Bio-PET is a plant-derived alternative to plastic produced from fossil fuels and is commonly used in drink bottles.

The Mitsui factory would source bioethanol made from plants such as American corn and Brazilian sugarcane to produce the bio-PET plastic, the report said. Recycled bottles would be mixed into the plastic, which would then be sold as a container material to drink manufacturers. Global bio-PET plastic production capacity stood at some 1M tonnes but that volume would surge if the plant went ahead, Nikkei Asia added.