Spanish choline manufacturer Algry Quimica has welcomed new proposals from the US Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) regarding standards for choline salts, to become effective in autumn 2003. The company said the regulations will clearly define the quality of choline-based preparations.
Revised amendments to the fifth edition of the FCC mean that the only choline bitartrate permitted for food and pharmaceutical applications will be Choline L-Bitartrate, manufactured from natural tartaric acid, also known as L (+) Tartaric acid.
Algry Quimica added that the new FCC5 and recently issued USP26 regulation will help its customers, by setting higher quality standards for both choline bitartrate and choline chloride used in the US market. The company launched its products on the US market early last year.
Guillermo Rodriguez, sales manager at the company, said the new regulations "match 100 per cent Algry Quimica's quality philosophy".
"This decision just confirms that Algry has been working in the right direction for years, by offering customers quality ingredients, close to pharmaceutical grade quality," he added.
Choline salts manufactured at Algry will be both FCC and USP (United States Pharmacopeia) compliant and the ingredients manufactured at the Huelva plant will also be ISO 9001:2000 certified before winter 2003, said the company.
The market for choline derivatives has experienced significant growth in recent years, helped by the FDA's recent decision to allow products containing certain amounts of choline to carry a nutrient label claim.
Algry Quimica is planning to invest further in its choline salts manufacturing facility in order to meet increasing demand.