This launch follows another major investment by LDC in May 2025, when the company unveiled a new line for specialty feed lecithin at the same Tianjin complex.
The laboratory will be operated jointly with the Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, a leading provincial research and innovation organization.
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.
The development allows for greater adaptability to market dynamics ensuring sustained crushing volumes even when local soybean supplies fluctuate.
The announcement comes shortly after BASF completed the sale of its Food and Health Performance Ingredients business to Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
The soy moratorium bars signatory companies from purchasing soybeans grown on farms in the Amazon biome that were deforested after July 2008.
LDC is a major commodity trader, and it also produces a wide variety of products for the animal feed and pet food sectors.
This acquisition aligns with LDC’s strategic expansion in Argentina, following the purchase of a warehouse in Gobernador Mansilla in 2024.