Novochizol SA and Alpha Chitin Partner to Produce a Chitosan-Based Polysaccharide

Alpha Chitin will manufacture both Novochizol™ raw materials and Novochizol™-based intermediate products.

Alpha Chitin, a French biobased chemistry company (Lacq – Aquitaine) and producer of innovative high-quality chitosans, and Novochizol SA, a Swiss biotech (Monthey – Valais) with a unique chitosan processing technology, today announced the creation of a joint venture to realize the full potential of Novochizol on an industrial scale.

The new company will conduct industrial research and development, certification, marketing, and sales of Novochizol™ products through contract manufacturing by Alpha Chitin’s newly built plant on the Lacq industrial platform in Aquitaine, France. The plant relies on Alpha Chitin’s proprietary extraction and processing technologies to produce basic and functionalized chitosans from different bioresources (insect larvae, krill and fungi), with multiple specifications, guaranteed batch-to-batch repeatability and full traceability.

Alpha Chitin will manufacture both Novochizol™ raw materials and Novochizol™-based intermediate products. While serving the needs of a variety of industries, including pharma and cosmetics, the joint venture will put a special emphasis on agricultural applications, where Novochizol™ excels. On the one hand, Novochizol™ has been shown to outperform chitosan as both a bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide. On the other hand, Novochizol™ has a unique ability to act as a co-formulant for all classes of conventional and organic crop protection products, including copper and sulfur, with significant dose reductions and longer-lasting protection against a variety of pathogens.

By gaining access to a unique technology that improves the properties of ordinary chitosan, Alpha Chinin confers to its high-performance chitosans a unique positioning in key areas such as the environment, cosmetics and healthcare. Within two years, Alpha Chitin shall develop an annual production capacity of 50 tons of very specific chitosans dedicated to Novochizol™, with a significant outlook for several markets and a strong expansion at the European and global level.

 “Alpha Chitin brings to the world market an entirely new standard in chitosan production. It combines full mastery and control of the biomass, produced entirely on-premises, and first-in-class manufacturing processes with guaranteed quality, reproducibility, and traceability. All things considered, our partnership with Novochizol SA is self-evident, enabling a technology that improves the characteristics of ordinary chitosan. Together with Novochizol SA, we shall develop original solutions, initially for agriculture and the environment, but also in other industrial sectors in need of innovation and higher efficacy. By combining our respective revolutionary technologies, we are building a promising future,” says Jerôme Delay, CEO and Co-founder, Alpha-Chitin.

  “The requirements for manufacturing Novochizol™ in various applications vary widely, in terms of chemistry, purity, volumes and specific regulatory constraints. But in all cases, a superior Novochizol™ requires a high-quality chitosan with stable characteristics and a manufacturing process that is robust, accurate, traceable, reproducible, and scalable. These are all characteristics of Alpha Chitin, whose technology is poised to revolutionize the chitosan industry. We are thrilled to be a part of it!” says Yvan Loroch, CEO Novochizol SA.