EXPANDED BIOKYOWA PLANT UP AND RUNNING, SAYS SOFFICIAL

Bill Hinckley, manager of the BioKyowa Inc. plant, discussed BioKyowa's process of producing L-Lysine a protein additive in swine and poultry feeds -- during a Lions Club meeting at the Holiday Inn Wednesday.

Hinckley frequently used the word sterilization. "You lose sterility, you lose everything," he told the group.

Hinckley used a projector to briefly run through the history of fermentation. Pictures of various equipment at the plant included huge storage tanks, crystalizers and dryers.

Following the program, Hinckley and Kohta Fujiwara, president of BioKyowa and Kyhowa Foods, discussed a couple of expansion projects at the plant in Nash Road Industrial Park.

Fujiwara, who became the local BioKyowa plant manager last year, said the expansion for the plant that produces swine and poultry L-Lysine supplements has been completed.

The expansion resulted in increased production of L-Lysine and the start of two new products, Threonine and Tryttothan, said Fujiwara. One of the plant's byproducts is an agricultural fertilizer product.

A new food supplement plant -- the second project at the Cape Girardeau BioKyowa site -- should be complete this fall.

BioKyowa has already added to its work force, said Hinckley.

"We're at 170," said Hinckley. "We've brought on a lot of people who are training for positions."

"Most of the food supplement will be exported," said Fujiwara.

BioKyowa began operations here in 1982 because of the proximity of a swine market to the north and poultry market to the south.

"We have great transportation for brining in supplies and shipping out finished products," said Fujiwara, referring to Interstate 55, the Mississippi River, air and rail facilities.

BioKyowa was one of the first major Japanese companies in Missouri, said Fujiwara. The plant here had employed about 100 workers until recently.

Kyowa Food Inc. was formed a couple of yeas ago to produce food seasonings. The company is owned by Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd. The $50 million, 32,000-sqaure-foot plant is being built near its sister company, BioKyowa Inc.

Kyowa Foods will manufacture and sell nucleotide seasonings developed by the company. The manufactured seasonings provide five basic tastes -- sweet, bitter, sour and salty -- as well as umami, which consists of naturally occurring glutamic acids and nucleotides found in bonito, seaweed and shitake mushrooms.

Another product will be a fermented seasoning in flavors like beef, pork, chicken and fish that will be used for broths, soups, bullions and pre-mixes.