Huons N is tripling production capacity at its Chuncheon plant after building a process safety management (PSM) site there, moving to expand its contract manufacturing business for health functional food ingredients.
Huons N, part of Huons Group, said on the 3rd that the Chuncheon plant, its production base for food and health functional food ingredients, had won approval as a PSM site.
The company installed upgraded equipment for key processes including extraction, filtration, concentration and purification. It also strengthened safety management by adding explosion-proof equipment, protective walls and hazard detection sensors, and by establishing emergency response protocols.
The PSM approval allows extraction and concentration processes using organic solvents such as ethanol, lifting annual capacity threefold to 16,500 tons from the previous level. The plant also gained the capability to produce a range of functional ingredients, including ginseng and red ginseng as well as natural substances and individually approved ingredients. It obtained a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
The Chuncheon plant houses ingredient production processes such as microbial fermentation, extraction and concentration, spray drying and freeze drying. It produces ginseng and red ginseng concentrates, natural substance extract powders, fermented products, and ingredients based on lactic acid bacteria and other microorganisms. The site can also culture and ferment up to 3,000 tons of microorganisms a year, including YT-1, a lactic acid bacteria strain for menopausal women.
Building on the expanded production infrastructure, Huons N plans to strengthen its OEM and ODM business in health functional foods and functional food ingredients.
"Based on production efficiency and quality competitiveness, we will continue to strengthen our OEM and ODM competitiveness as an ingredient production partner our clients can trust," said Son Dong-chul, chief executive of Huons N.
