Agrana to invest in wheat starch plant

Ingredients giant Agrana is investing €56m in a new wheat starch plant that will enable the company to enter the wheat gluten market for the first time.

A spokesperson for Agrana told BakeryandSnacks.com that the introduction of wheat gluten to its portfolio will allow the company to help meet increasing demand for protein.

The factory is set to produce 23,500 tonnes of wheat starch to be used in bakery and pet food products.

The unit will also turn out 107,000 tonnes of wheat starch and 55,000 tonnes of wheat bran which will cater mainly for the European market.

Up until now the firm has specialised in the production of corn and potato starches. Agrana claims to be the primary sugar company in Central and Eastern Europe and the leading supplier of specialised starch products in Europe.