The Age of Green Bio
Green Biotechnology’s time has truly arrived. With a growth rate of 8% per year and an estimated market value of over 136 billion USD according to experts, it is an industry growing to meet the demands of the present and the possibilities of the future. Enter CJ CheilJedang, multinational food company and Green Bio pioneer, which has made huge investments in the field and is leading the pack in areas like innovation, marketing and manufacturing, all despite its initial status as a late starter in the race.
But what is Green Biotechnology? Why is it so important, and what accounts for CJ CheilJedang’s meteoric rise within it? Today the CJ Newsroom dives into the CJ Green Bio story.
What Is Green Biotechnology?
Green Biotechnology is a science that seeks to bring together technology and nature to make exciting new products and solve problems. It applies cutting-edge technologies to plants and microorganisms and brings a lot of innovation to agricultural industries such as farming and fishing industries.
Using advanced processing and engineering technologies, CJ CheilJedang manufactures food ingredients, animal feed additives and seasonings on a large scale. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that 2030 be a tipping point, the year when the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry and the bio industry will truly come together and take off. The Green Bio field – thanks, in part, to its emphasis on low-carbon methods is predicted to make up 90% of the bio industry by then.
Ultimately, however, the goals of Green Bio are simple: healthier, tastier, more nutritious and more sustainable food for the whole planet.
CJ CheilJedang’s Green Bio Journey
As a leading global food company committed to exploring innovative strategies and building a fairer, healthier world for all, today CJ CheilJedang is successfully positioned to lead the way in Green Bio development. With 11 manufacturing sites in seven countries the world over, the company has a dominant presence in the key Green Bio categories of Human Nutrition & Health (HNH) which covers products like natural flavoring ingredients and Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) – HNH which covers feed additives like amino acids and enzymes for livestock.
However, it wasn’t always this way. When CJ CheilJedang first entered the Green Bio industry, it had to fight to win a place in a market packed with tough competition. So, what led CJ CheilJedang to triumph against the odds? Looking closer at specific products is a great place to start.
HNH: Toppling Nucleic Acid Giants
Seasoning is a big area for CJ CheilJedang. Taking full advantage of its expertise in microbial engineering and fermentation, the company’s seasoning products can match the tastes and properties of existing food types. One key ingredient in this process is nucleic acid, which boosts the flavors of savory foods. However, when CJ CheilJedang first moved to stake out a place in the industry, Ajinomoto, a Japanese company, was in command of 80% of the nucleic acid market. Today the landscape is very different: CJ CheilJedang leads the market, which itself is now worth 570 million USD.
ANH: Conquering the Amino Market
Another key category CJ CheilJedang excels in is the ANH industry which covers feed additives for livestock. Amino acids cannot be produced naturally by humans or animals and are a crucial component of feed additives in farms.
“Our sustainable fermentation technology supports the manufacturing system designed for the eight key feed-use amino acids, and it continues to add to our market dominance,” said Chun Hee-Sung of the ANH Division. “In 2013, we became the number one player in the global lysine market, and also in the tryptophan, valine, arginine and histidine markets to continue our success streak.”
Beyond Manufacturing: CJ CheilJedang’s Green Bio Future
Refusing to rest on its laurels, recently CJ CheilJedang has sought to find yet more applications for its Green Bio knowledge base. It is now working to expand its operations in specialty products and clean label food ingredients. TasteNrich, one of CJ CheilJedang’s unique, plant-based savory seasonings, recorded over 23 million USD in sales in 2021. This is an impressive number by itself, but it also represents a remarkable 19 million USD increase from the previous year’s sales. FlavorNrich, the world’s first natural, vegan cysteine flavor solution, is another milestone.
In further efforts to promote plant-based products, CJ CheilJedang is continuing to expand its Green Bio portfolio, introducing new and innovative products available to customers directly. One recent example is the company’s newly launched Vegan DASIDA, a beef-flavored, soybean-based seasoning which captures the deep, rich flavor of beef using animal-free, non-artificial ingredients.
CJ CheilJedang’s successes point to a trend which shows Green Bio playing an increasingly important role in a more sustainable future. As health and eco-friendliness become more prominent customer values in the face of climate change and aging populations, Green Bio approaches – ranging from food alternatives to smart farming – will all have something to contribute.
The future of Green Bio, it seems, is without limit, and has the scope to improve lives and help the environment globally. With both its HNH and ANH Divisions making big plans for the future, CJ CheilJedang fully intends to stay ahead of the curve at every step and lead the way to the Green Bio solutions of tomorrow.
