Alban Muller International, a French supplier of ingredients and formulation, R&D, manufacturing, marketing services for the personal care industry, recently invested two million euros in a new drying facility for plant extracts by zeodration. This dehydration method uses zeolites and allows adjusting pressure and heat during the process in order to adapt them to the product specifications.

Already equiped with a zeodration equipment since 2002, Alban Muller has choosen to proceed with its development by remaining loyal to this technological approach in particular because of its environmental friendliness. According to Alban Muller, zeodratation is an innovative technique that presents several advantages. First, its low temperature drying process preserves the integrity and thus, the activity of the molecules extracted. Moreover, it consumes little energy, uses the energy produced by its functioning and generates little releases (mostly water), treated in the filtering gardens of the industrial site.

This zeodrator of latest generation with optimized performances will allow an optimum management of energy, and a still better carbon footprint. This completely computerized tool will also enable a perfect monitoring of the drying parameters and of their record by batch (state, pressures, temperatures…) and thus, of the product quality and reproducibility,” says the company.

The installation of this machine, which will be made according to the pharmaceutical protocols, within the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), will allow the Alban Muller group to triple its manufacturing capacity and to improve its delivery times. The machine will be operational in July.