Darling Ingredients, a US producer of ingredients made from animal by-products, has agreed to acquire all of the shares of Gelnex for approximately $1.2 billion.

Headquartered in Brazil, Gelnex is a global manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptides. With five facilities located in South America and one in the US, Gelnex has the capacity to produce 46,000 metric tons of collagen products annually. The company exports its ingredients to over 60 countries worldwide and employs around 1,200 workers.

Chairman and CEO, Randall Stuewe, said: “Driven by strong growth in demand for collagen products in the global health and nutrition market, we anticipate the collagen peptides market to double in the next five years…This acquisition will allow Darling to continue to grow its presence in the health and nutrition market and increases our production capacity for grass-fed bovine collagen in South America to help meet the future demand of our collagen customers worldwide.”

Darling Ingredients manufactures and supplies hundreds of collagen products made from bovine, porcine and fish sources under the brand Rousselot, which has 11 facilities across four continents around the world.

Stuewe added: “Collagen is the most abundant protein naturally found in the body, and it plays an increasing role in the health and nutrition market by consumers seeking benefits to their hair, nails, skin, joints, bones and muscles. Our versatile and high-quality collagen products can be used in a broad range of applications, including powder blends, capsules, tablets, nutritional bars, drinks, dairy, confectionery and more.”