Bio-valorization
Our Bio-valorization segment, which covers Tessenderlo Group’s activities in animal by-product processing, consists of PB Leiner (production, trading and sale of gelatin and collagen peptides) and Akiolis (rendering, production, trading and sale of proteins and fats).
PB Leiner
PB Leiner supplies a complete range of high-quality gelatins and collagen peptides, tailoring solutions to customer applications. We are one of the top three players in the world in our industry. The gelatin process includes raw material (pre)treatment, collagen extraction, and gelatin purification. The overall production processes can take up to six months for specific qualities, and part of the gelatin is further processed into collagen peptides for health and nutrition applications. Gelatin is used in multiple markets, including food, pharmaceuticals, and photography. In most applications, gelatin is added in small dosages to the formulation, as a functional ingredient with superior characteristics. PB Leiner produces collagen peptides and gelatin derived from pigskin, beef hide, beef bone, and fish skin. Raw materials are mainly sourced regionally and competition for raw materials is not limited to other gelatin manufacturers, but also comprises other end-uses such as direct use as human food, pet food, and leather manufacturing. Fluctuations in the supply and demand of raw materials have an important impact on gelatin prices and availability. Securing sufficient raw material volumes is key to the business.
Akiolis
Akiolis specializes in rendering activities and the production of high-value proteins and fats derived from animal by-products and other organic sources. Our links with partners from the sourcing (livestock sector, meat industry, butchers, and retailers) enable us to get access to a vast array of animal materials and our industrial processes allow us to valorize our ingredients in markets such as pet food and animal nutrition, aqua feed and oleo-chemistry, organic fertilization, gelatins, bioenergy and biofuel production. Our targets for each market are specialization, agility and service-minded operations, and a focus on our customers’ needs and the key success factors of their businesses. This is a goal that translates into branded ingredients. This market-oriented approach will enable us to deliver products and services featuring a very high standard of quality, food safety, and innovative solutions that meet the rate of development in our customers’ markets. It will also allow us to be and remain in the future a solid partner for breeders contributing to the sanitary protection of livestock and therefore the human food chain while contributing to reducing the impact of livestock breeding through the development of the circular reuse of dead animals on farms.