CJ CheilJedang announced on February 22 that it has signed a technology licensing agreement for its lysine products with Chinese state-owned enterprise StarLakeEppen (Xinghu Yipin).
The agreement is expected to serve as a stepping stone for CJ CheilJedang to expand its lysine business model beyond production and sales, incorporating licensing and technology transfer in China and other global markets.
Under the partnership, CJ CheilJedang will grant StarLakeEppen exclusive rights within China to use its proprietary lysine strains. The collaboration aims to maximize synergy by combining CJ CheilJedang’s globally validated fermentation and strain optimization technologies with StarLakeEppen’s large-scale production capacity and international market network.
StarLakeEppen is recognized as a leading global bio-fermentation company, producing amino acids, food additives and fertilizers. CJ CheilJedang expects to secure stable royalty income through the licensing arrangement.
At the signing ceremony, CJ CheilJedang CEO Yoon Seok-hwan said the agreement once again demonstrates the global recognition of the company’s lysine technology and proprietary strains. He added that the partnership goes beyond a simple licensing contract, establishing a solid foundation for the sustainable growth of the amino acid industry.
The two companies also plan to continue collaboration in biotechnology and bio-fermentation technologies.
CJ CheilJedang began its lysine business in 1991 and has steadily expanded its green bio product portfolio, adding threonine in 2000, tryptophan in 2010, valine in 2014 and methionine in 2015. The company now holds the world’s largest portfolio of eight feed-grade amino acids and produces all commercial products using its own fermentation technologies.
The global feed amino acid market is characterized by high volatility, with individual product segments ranging from hundreds of billions to trillions of won in scale. Despite intensified competition driven by aggressive capacity expansions by Chinese producers, CJ CheilJedang has maintained leading market shares in products such as tryptophan, arginine and isoleucine, supported by proactive investments and advanced research and development capabilities.
