Investments exceeding $15m have been planned for this year, underlining the group's confidence in further sector growth.
Yeast is widely used in the food industry because of its taste contribution, which can impart a meaty bouillon taste to a wide variety of products. This is derived from the yeast's amino acid and peptide complex.
The global yeast market is worth around 1.17 billion, and this market is growing on the back of increasing demand for natural ingredients in processed foods.
It is this growth that ABF hopes to tap. Two yeast extract facilities are being expanded in new and existing product capacity.
In Europe, the expansion in Ohly Hamburg will increase capacity in high nucleotide baker's yeast extracts and enhance the firm's capacity in yeast cell wall extracted glucan. These developments will also improve the group's overall yeast extracts capabilities.
At the same time in the US, Provesta Flavor Ingredients has begun the expansion of its Torula yeast extracts at its Boyceville Wisconsin site, which will also include the manufacture of high nucleotide products.
This is designed to improve the firm's North American capabilities of delivering novel extracts for the flavour and savoury markets. Both the Ohly and the Provesta Flavour Ingredients expansions become fully operational in 2007.
In addition to this, new capacity in Protients Norfolk, Nebraska plant will be on stream in September 2006. The new plant will manufacture milk protein isolates becoming the first US domestic producer.
"These investments are in line with our post acquisition strategy for both the former Burns Philp yeast extracts business and the proteins business of Protient which are core business areas for ABF Ingredients," said Stephen Catling, CEO of ABF Ingredients.
Robert Rouwenhorst, head of the firm's proteins division, said that these expansions would strengthen the group's ability to develop and manufacture protein and yeast based derivatives for a range of food and nutrition needs.
ABF Ingredients says it has established strong market positions in enzymes, polyols, yeast extracts, speciality lipids, emulsifiers, cereal specialities and proteins and has 36 locations worldwide.
ABF Ingredients is a division of Associated British Foods, comprising of a range of ingredient companies operating under their own identities and business models.