L-Valine and L-Arginine Urgently Need Industrialization in China    

In recent years, because of new applications of amino acids in food, feed, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and household chemicals, especially due to the rapid development of anticancer drugs, amino acid infusion formulations and sweet dipeptides, the demand for amino acids as raw materials is growing rapidly. Recently, it was found that L-valine is a key intermediate for the synthesis of an immune antibiotic, which has increased its annual demand by several thousand tons worldwide. Now, its global annual output has reached over 10 000 tons. At present, very few Chinese companies are able to produce L-valine on an industrial scale. In China, the preparation of amino acid infusion alone needs to import several hundred tons of L-valine every year. With the growing use of amino acid infusion, the demand for L-valine is bound to rise rapidly.
    Now, medicinal amino acids that are in short supply in China are relatively costly. For example, the price of imported L-valine (Val) is RMB180 000 /t, but the price of domestically produced L-valine is only RMB90 000 /t to RMB120 000 /t due to its lower purity.
    According to reports, the global annual demand for amino acids used in medicinal infusion is about 15 000 tons, of which that of L-valine is about 1 500 tons. In China, no companies can now produce L-valine on an industrial scale. In recent years, as a major component of amino acid-based active pharmaceutical ingredients, L-valine has shown very broad application prospects.
    In the future, the L-valine market still has several growth points and a vast development space. First of all, the use of L-valine in feed additives will grow rapidly. Currently, China's annual feed output has reached more than 100 million tons, making it the world's second largest producer. In 2010, China's output of various feed additives is expected to reach 3 million tons. The market demand for L-valine will reach 5 000 tons. Second, the clinical demand for the amino acid infusion is always huge, and L-valine is one of its major ingredients. In addition, in recent years, a variety of amino acid drinks have become popular in Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea. The use of amino acids in cosmetics, especially in medium and high-end cosmetics, has also increased. A variety of amino acid tablets and oral healthcare products are now emerging in the Chinese market. In short, the existing market and the potential market of L-valine are growing rapidly.

L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid for humans and animals and has a very wide range of applications in human nutrition and in the pharmaceutical industry. It is an important raw material for the synthesis of polyarginine and other derivatives.
   Currently, the world's total L-arginine output reportedly exceeds 10 000 tons per year. But in China, L-arginine is mainly imported, and its market price is about RMB80 000/t. In 2009, Zhaoqing Star Lake Biotechnology Co., Ltd successfully realized the mass production of L-arginine on the basis of a 20-liter fermentation tank, with an acid production rate of up to 65 g/L and a sugar-to-acid conversion rate of 35%. So far, China has just started mass production of L-arginine.