WACKER enters EU pet food additives market

With FERMOPURE^® VEGAN L-CYSTEINE and FERMOPURE^® NATURAL L-CYSTINE, WACKER offers plant-based products that are used in pet food as flavor precursors and flavor components. During production, they react with reducing sugars in what is known as the Maillard reaction, producing characteristic meaty and savory flavors. The vegan products have been successfully established in the food industry for years. As the largest Western manufacturer of L-cysteine and L-cystine, WACKER is now expanding their range of applications to include pet food. These solutions are highly effective even at low doses and are suitable for various dosage forms, such as liquids, chewable products, tablets, or powders.

“With the new EU approval, we are expanding our range of pet food products in Europe to include amino acids produced through fermentation,” says Christian Hauk, Head of BioIngredients at WACKER’s Biosolutions business division. “This ensures that our customers receive products made from plant-based raw materials that are of the highest quality and fully traceable.”

WACKER has received approval from the European Commission for its amino acids L-cystine and L-cysteine as sensory additives for all animal species. This opens up an important market for the company, which has been supplying ingredients for pet food in the U.S. for more than ten years. With the approval of L-cysteine derived from fermented L-cystine for use in animal feed for all animal species, WACKER occupies a unique position in the EU market.

The approval was preceded by a positive safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This provides pet food manufacturers with a clear regulatory framework for the use of FERMOPURE^® products for all animal species. The approval covers FERMOPURE^® NATURAL L-CYSTINE PET FOOD as well as the following product variants of FERMOPURE^® VEGAN L-CYSTEINE PET FOOD: L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate, L-cysteine hydrochloride monohydrate 20 mesh, L-cysteine hydrochloride anhydrous, and L-cysteine free base.

WACKER produces FERMOPURE^® through fermentation using plant-based glucose. In this process, L-cystine is produced using a suitable production strain of E. coli bacteria and then purified. For L-cysteine, there is one more step: L-cystine is reduced to L-cysteine through electrolysis. Unlike conventional manufacturing processes, the production of the L-cystine used in FERMOPURE^® is based on a natural biotechnological process. This enables sustainable production without animal-based raw material - an alternative to conventionally sourced L-cysteine.

The global market for pet food and treats was valued at $145.2 billion in 2025. According to the latest report from Global Market Insights Inc., it is expected to grow from $152.1 billion in 2026 to $259 billion by 2035. The European market was valued at $43.2 billion in 2025. In addition to the growing number of pet owners, this trend is driven by the increasing anthropomorphization of pets, accompanied by a rising demand for functional and natural pet food.