SHAH ALAM, June 17 (Bernama) -- International flavours and foodingredients manufacturer, Quest International and its joint venturepartner, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, are doubling the production capacity intheir Malaysian emulsifier plant as a long term strategy to meet globaldemand for an alternative to soybean oil and animal fat-based foodemulsifier.Chairman of the board of directors of the joint venture company, EsterolSdn Bhd, Declan MacFadden said that the company was now in the finalstages of commissioning an expansion of production capacity to 30,000metric tonnes per annum."The total investment for the Esterol plant amounts to RM57 million todate," he said at a press conference after the official opening of EsterolSdn Bhd.The food emulsifier produced by Esterol is mainly used to enhance thetaste and quality of food."Our biggest drivers for growth have been the bakery, dairy andconfectionery markets," he said.Fadden said the company's main raw material was palm oil which wasaccepted in many countries due to its nutritional benefits as opposed togenetically modified types of vegetable oils."Some 90 percent of the emulsifier that Esterol produces are for exportswhile the balance are for local consumption in Malaysia," he said.The main export markets are in Europe, North America, Australia and China.Chairman of Quest, Paul Drechsler said the Esterol plant was the onlymanufacturing site for the production of emulsifier in Asia.Quest has another two plants, one in Canada and the other in theNetherlands. -- BERNAMA