Vitamins: Production route
Why only a handful of firms can make vitamin A
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Each vitamin has its own route, but they fall into three groups. Fat-soluble A and E (and K3) are made by long chemical syntheses from petrochemical building blocks, which only a few groups with citral and isophytol integration can do: dsm-firmenich, BASF, Zhejiang NHU and Zhejiang Medicine. Water-soluble C, B2 and B12 are fermented from sugar, mostly in China and India. D3 is made by UV irradiation of cholesterol from lanolin. Natural vitamin E is extracted from vegetable oil refining by-products.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (synthetic) | almost all vitamin A; global capacity not reliably published (28-54 kt/yr implied by Faxian Gongchang figures, indicative (unverified)) | citral and acetone-derived intermediates (quantities not published) | BASF 14.4 kt/yr (stated as 26.7% of world, unverified); NHU claims number one | not published | not published | Chinese price RMB 59-98/kg in 2026, about $8-14/kg |
| Vitamin E (synthetic and natural) | synthetic dominates; China over 70% of capacity (2025) | isophytol and TMHQ (not published) | global about 150 kt/yr; Nantekang 30 kt; BASF 20 kt VE oil | not published | not published | RMB 80-100/kg feed grade (2026), about $11-14/kg |
| Vitamin C and other fermentation vitamins (B2, B12) | China 85%+ of vitamin C; India 40-50% and China 30-40% of B12 | about 1.5-2 t glucose per t vitamin C (indicative) | vitamin C global about 200 kt/yr | not published | biomass | not published |
| Vitamin D3 | Garden Bio 30-40% of D3; about 70% of NF-grade cholesterol | lanolin (wool tile) cholesterol | Garden Bio feed-grade D3 to 3,600 t/yr | not published | not published | cost about RMB 50/kg; quotes RMB 200-600/kg (2025-2026) |
| B-group chemical synthesis (B1, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, K3) | China above 70% of B1; China dominates B3 and B5; Brother 40-60% of K3; India 30-40% of folic acid | not published | 1-20 kt/yr lines | not published | chromium waste from K3 (indicative) | B5 RMB 300-400/kg, K3 RMB 50-80/kg (2026 expected) |
How each route works
Vitamin A (synthetic)Citral from isobutylene and formaldehyde is built up via beta-ionone into vitamin A acetate in over ten steps; formulated as beadlets.
Few producers; outage-prone.
Faxian Gongchang 2026; RMB 7.2 per $ (indicative) Vitamin E (synthetic and natural)Synthetic: trimethylhydroquinone condensed with isophytol to dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. Natural: tocopherols extracted from soybean or rapeseed oil deodoriser distillate.
China share heading to 80%+ by 2027-28 (Faxian Gongchang).
Faxian Gongchang 2026 Vitamin C and other fermentation vitamins (B2, B12)Vitamin C by two-step fermentation of sorbitol to 2-keto-L-gulonic acid then conversion to ascorbic acid; B2 and B12 by single-strain fermentation.
Sugar-based; China dominates on scale.
Faxian Gongchang 2026; inputs indicative Vitamin D3Cholesterol from lanolin (wool grease) is converted to 7-dehydrocholesterol and irradiated with UV.
Very high margin in tight markets.
Faxian Gongchang 2026 B-group chemical synthesis (B1, B3, B5, B6, folic acid, K3)Niacin from pyridine chemistry, B5 from isobutyraldehyde and HCN, B1 from malononitrile routes, K3 from chromium oxidation of methylnaphthalene.
Fragmented; Chinese consolidation.
Faxian Gongchang 2026 Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.