Louis Dreyfus Company expands with new lecithin production line in China

CHINA – Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) has unveiled a new state-of-the-art automated production line for speciality feed lecithin at its oilseeds crushing plant in Tianjin, China.

The facility, powered entirely by renewable electricity, aims to capitalise on rising global demand for high-performance lecithin products.

The investment supports LDC’s expansion into value-added feed solutions, with the global lecithin market estimated at US$1.08 billion in 2025 and projected to reach US$1.46 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.15%.

Developed with support from LDC’s R&D centre in Shanghai, the new line enables the production of enzymatically treated lecithin and low-viscosity lecithin. These speciality variants are designed to improve nutrient absorption in animal feed and streamline feed processing.

Enzymatically treated lecithin enhances the bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients, contributing to better feed efficiency and reduced costs for livestock farmers.

Meanwhile, low-viscosity lecithin can be blended directly into feed without requiring extreme heating or costly storage systems.

“Leveraging LDC’s processing and innovation capabilities, our new production line will enable us to offer customised solutions tailored to feed industry requirements. This aligns with our strategic objective to expand downstream into higher-value markets, said James Zhou, Global Head of Food & Feed Solutions and Chief Commercial Officer at LDC.

The lecithin market’s expansion is fueled by increasing demand from the animal nutrition sector, especially in high-consumption regions like China, the world’s largest pork producer and a significant consumer of poultry and aquaculture products.

Lecithin, derived primarily from soybeans, serves as an effective emulsifier and stabiliser in compound feeds and is prized for its cost-efficiency and functionality in large-scale operations.

According to a 2024 report by Research and Markets, the lecithin market is seeing robust growth due to rising awareness of animal health, sustainable livestock practices, and the increasing adoption of functional feed ingredients globally.

 China’s 14th Five-Year Plan also emphasises modernising animal husbandry, which has spurred local innovation and foreign investment in animal nutrition.

“Our new automated production line for speciality feed lecithin reflects our commitment to leveraging innovation and processing infrastructure to meet the evolving needs of China’s farming industry,” added Shengshu Huang, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Specialty Feed Ingredients for North Asia at LDC.

The expansion reinforces LDC’s ongoing transformation from a traditional agricultural commodity merchant into a more vertically integrated food, feed, and ingredients player.

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