Latin company starts sterol, tocopherol production

Argentina's Advanced Organic Materials claims to be Latin America's first manufacturer of tocopherols and sterols, since it started to produce and commercialise the ingredients at the end of last year.

The company was founded in 2003, but spent the first two years of its existence building its technology platform and manufacturing product intermediaries, which it sold to established vitamin E producers.

Its facility, located 40 miles north of Buenos Aires, is ideally situated to make the most of the raw material bounty in Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil.

"Our company seeks to exploit the wealth of natural raw materials in Argentina ranging from traditional crops to specialties that grow in the various climates present in our country", said co-founder Alex Abad.

The company aims to supply high value, natural source ingredients to the food, cosmetics and nutraceutical industries, and its vitamin E is derived from sunflower oil, a natural, non-GMO source of alpha tocopherol.

Its mixed tocopherols come in 50 and 70 percent concentrations, and its vitamin E 1000 IU (international units).

At present, annual production capacity is 250 metric tonnes of tocopherols and 200 metric tonnes of sterols.