Modern Peptone Manufacturing: Raising the Standard for Fermentation Substrates

Modern, automated peptone production

Peptones from the Solabia Group represent the result of nearly 50 years of strategic activity and savoir-faire. As key components in industrial fermentation, they contribute to a range of products, from probiotics and vaccines to specific bacterial metabolites in cosmetics. Although they are often perceived as replaceable commodities with similar sounding names, that misconception can lead to significant problems. Peptones differ in sourcing as a function of a producer’s manufacturing experience, raw materials, and (most important) production site itself and its level of technical advancement. The more modern the site, the greater the likelihood that it can produce consistent, high-quality peptones.

Dual Production Sites and Animal Separation Set Solabia Apart
Solabia separates animal tissue processing from its plant and casein manufacturing, which is unique to the peptone industry and an important part of eliminating cross-contamination. Solabia’s production site for EDQM-certified meat peptones in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-free Brazil complements its plant and casein production site in France. Meat peptones are still used in nearly all market segments, although the number of producers offering them has dwindled, in a large part because of traceability issues at single production sites.

21st Century Peptone Manufacturing
Solabia’s French production facility (right) in particular is characterized by a closed system and modern, computer-controlled processes, including best-in-class modern reactor designs, which result in greater peptone consistency and improved attributes for clarity, stability, and color. This production site alone underscores Solabia’s long-term commitment to an industry that values vendor reliability and consistency above other factors.

Meeting and Exceeding Prerequisites for Fermentation Components
Industrial fermentation has moved away from bovine-derived material because of BSE concerns. It now centers on five basic trends (see box).

Solabia can supply products in all of the above trends — a rare feat among producers. Precocious in its recognition of the significance of a continuous kosher certification for peptones, Solabia has evolved its kosher pareve peptones for the probiotics and food fermentation markets needing a higher certification level. Solabia peptones contribute to the manufacturing of some of the world’s most widely known probiotics and starters, and the special attributes of these peptones are aiding the launch of entirely new ranges of probiotic and specialty enzymes worldwide. Taking that certification one step further, the company has embarked on a halal certification program, anticipated for 2016.

High Capacity, High Potential, Low Risk
The unique added value of Solabia’s two operational production sites provides clear advantages for both high-volume and occasional product users. Risk mitigation and production redundancy for strategic products (e.g., tryptone) address issues few in the industry can match. Solabia’s complete line of peptones is available in the United States through Solabia US Inc., with local inventory and technical service. Samples are available for any reference. See how raising the standard can affect your fermentation process.

David Miller is global marketing and commercial manager for Solabia SAS 29, rue Delizy 93698 PANTIN Cedex, France; 33-1-48-10-19 40; fax 33-1-48-91-18-77; Solabia US, 28 West 44th Street Suite 910 New York, NY 10036; 1-212-847-2397; fax 1-646-786-4955; [email protected]; www.solabia.com.