International search engine for Technology for Meat and Alternative Proteins
Status: Exhibitors of IFFA 2025
Description
Contributing to life-saving drugs.
Many important, even some life-saving medicines, are derived from animal byproducts and have been used this way for thousands of years. Today, our knowledge of what valuable substances animal organs contain has vastly increased and so have the sophisticated technologies to source them. An expert in extracting valuable substances in the most optimal condition, Van Hessen is continually developing new methods for higher yields, better quality, and new applications. Van Hessen, the only company in the world able to source and valorize mucosa and pancreas into active pharmaceutical ingredients, collaborates closely with its sister company Bioiberica in maintaining a robust supply chain.
Mucosa, sourced from pork intestines, is used for the production of heparin, an anticoagulant (blood thinner) that saves millions of lives every year.
Cartilage, a soft bone harvested from bovine trachea, is used as raw material for chondroitin. This
drug helps improve joint health, benefiting those who suffer from arthritis.
Pork pancreases are primarily sourced for their digestive properties and used for the production of medicines that treat various digestive problems.