Product profile · Amino acids · Methionine
Evonik methionine: specification, alternatives and how to buy it competitively
Most buyers searching for Evonik methionine are doing one of three things: confirming which grade sits behind a quoted brand name, checking what a compliant offer must document, or benchmarking a producer price against the other qualified methionine sources. This page covers the specification you should state in an RFQ, the alternatives that are genuinely comparable once you normalise to cost per kilogram of methionine, and the fields that make an offer quotable within 48 hours.
FeedMatch Group is an independent, supplier-neutral procurement platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a reseller for any manufacturer named on this page, and all trademarks belong to their respective owners. Product ranges, brand names, specifications and availability change by region — always confirm against the seller's current technical data sheet before contracting.
At a glance
- Category
- First-limiting amino acid in poultry and swine rations
- Commercial forms
- Dry DL-methionine 99% and liquid methionine hydroxy analogue (MHA/HMTBa) 88%
- Typical inclusion
- 1.0–3.5 kg/t poultry, 0.5–2.0 kg/t swine
- Compare on
- Landed USD per kg of pure methionine, not per kg of product
- Parcel size
- Pallet lots to full 20' container (approx. 20–22 MT)
Commercial forms you will be quoted
| Form | Specification | Packaging | Buyer note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry DL-methionine 99% | ≥ 99.0% assay, white to off-white crystalline powder, moisture ≤ 0.5%, feed-grade heavy metal limits | 25 kg bags, 1 MT big bags | The reference form. Directly comparable across producers on assay, moisture and residue limits. |
| Liquid MHA / HMTBa 88% | 88% activity aqueous solution, corrosive handling class, requires calibrated liquid dosing line | Drums, IBCs, bulk ISO tank | Not a 1:1 swap for dry Met — convert on bio-efficacy and adjust inclusion before comparing price per MT. |
| Methionine in a compound premix | Declared Met content per kg of premix, carrier, blend uniformity and shelf life | 25 kg bags | Convenient but opaque — always ask for the Met inclusion so you can price the amino acid separately. |
Specification to state in the RFQ
| Parameter | What to require | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Assay (DL-methionine) | 99.0% min | The only number that turns a price per kg of product into a price per kg of active. |
| Moisture | 0.5% max | Above this, caking and flow problems appear in the micro-dosing line. |
| Loss on drying / ash | Per feed-grade standard, stated on the CoA | Detects carrier dilution in repackaged material. |
| Heavy metals (Pb, As, Cd, Hg) | Feed-grade limits of the destination market | Non-negotiable for EU, Gulf and most import registrations. |
| Particle size / bulk density | Stated range | Affects segregation in the mixer and dosing accuracy at low inclusion. |
| Packaging & pallet configuration | 25 kg bags or 1 MT big bags, pallets per container | Drives freight, handling cost and warehouse turnaround. |
| Shelf life & storage | 24 months typical, dry storage below 30 °C | Slow-moving lines lose value; match parcel size to consumption. |
| Origin & manufacturing site | Named plant, not just the trading entity | Determines duty exposure, registration validity and lead time. |
| Certification | FAMI-QS and/or GMP+ B1/B2, with certificate scope | A trading scope does not cover manufacturing. |
Alternatives compared
Normalise every offer to landed USD per kilogram of pure methionine: take the ex-works or CFR price, add freight, insurance, duty, port and inland handling, and the financing cost of your payment term, then divide by the assay (0.99 for dry DL-Met, and by the bio-efficacy-adjusted figure for liquid MHA at 88%).
| Option | Normalise on | Strength | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evonik (dry DL-Met 99%) | Price ÷ 0.99 | Documented assay, consistent particle size, technical support and reliable CoA discipline | Premium to Asian producers; large minimum quantities on direct contracts |
| Adisseo (dry DL-Met and liquid HMTBa) | Price ÷ 0.99 dry; bio-efficacy adjusted for liquid | Only major producer offering both dry and liquid routes at scale | Liquid requires on-site storage, corrosion-rated dosing and different handling training |
| Sumitomo / Japanese producers | Price ÷ 0.99 | Consistent quality record, strong presence in Asian lanes | Allocation-driven availability; lead times move with plant schedules |
| CJ CheilJedang / Korean producers | Price ÷ 0.99 | Competitive pricing with full documentation and broad registration coverage | Container availability on some lanes is the binding constraint, not price |
| Chinese producers (NHU, Meihua and others) | Price ÷ verified assay | Lowest cost per kg of active on most lanes | Verify assay independently on first shipments, and check anti-dumping duty exposure in your destination |
| Liquid MHA (any producer) | Price ÷ 0.88, then bio-efficacy adjustment | Lower handling dust, easy to dose where a liquid line already exists | Corrosive; higher freight per unit of active because you ship water |
What moves the price
- Propylene and methanol
- Methionine synthesis tracks these petrochemical inputs; a move upstream shows up in quotes within weeks.
- Plant availability
- Global capacity sits in a handful of plants — one turnaround or outage can move price 20–60%.
- Anti-dumping duties
- Duties on certain origins change which producer is actually cheapest at your border, regardless of FOB price.
- Container freight
- At roughly 20–22 MT per container, ocean and inland freight are a meaningful share of landed cost.
- Contract period
- Quarterly and annual contracts price differently from spot; volatile quarters reward shorter cover with a second source approved.
What your RFQ must state
- Grade: dry DL-methionine 99% or liquid MHA 88%
- Quantity per shipment and total annual volume
- Delivery port or mill address and required Incoterm
- Delivery window and whether the volume is spot or contract
- Packaging: 25 kg bags or 1 MT big bags, pallet requirement
- Certification required: FAMI-QS, GMP+, halal, kosher, non-GMO
- Destination registration requirements and import duty position
- Payment term, and whether financing is needed
Frequently asked questions
Is Evonik methionine different from other DL-methionine?
Chemically, feed-grade DL-methionine at 99% assay is the same molecule from every qualified producer. What differs commercially is assay consistency batch to batch, moisture and particle size control, documentation discipline, technical support, and the reliability of supply during a tight market. Those differences are real, but they are worth a premium only if you can quantify them — which is why the comparison should always be run on landed cost per kg of methionine with the certificate and CoA attached to each offer.
How do I compare dry methionine against liquid MHA?
Never on price per tonne. Liquid MHA is 88% activity in water, so you first divide by 0.88, then apply a bio-efficacy factor to express it in dry DL-methionine equivalents before comparing. On top of that, liquid ships water, so freight per unit of active is higher, and it needs corrosion-rated storage and a calibrated dosing line. Liquid usually wins where that infrastructure already exists and the lane is short; dry usually wins on imported container volumes.
What documents should a methionine offer carry?
A current certificate of analysis for a recent batch, the FAMI-QS or GMP+ certificate with its scope visible, the technical data sheet showing assay, moisture, heavy metals and particle size, the named manufacturing site, the registration or authorisation number valid for your destination, and a clear statement of packaging, shelf life and price validity. An offer missing the assay method or the manufacturing site is not comparable to one that has them.
What is a typical methionine order size?
Most mills buy full 20' containers at roughly 20–22 MT, because break-bulk and LCL quantities carry a clear cost penalty. Smaller mills consolidate methionine with lysine, threonine or premix into one shipment to reach container economics. Where consumption is under a container per quarter, buying through a distributor holding local stock is usually cheaper than importing directly despite the visible margin.
How fast can FeedMatch return comparable methionine quotes?
With the grade, quantity, destination and Incoterm stated, we return comparable offers from qualified producers and distributors within about 48 hours, each normalised to landed cost per kg of methionine. Where a new registration check or a sample assay is needed, allow up to a week. We are supplier-neutral, hold no producer mandate, and the service is free for buyers.
Benchmark your Evonik methionine quote
Send one specification. We run it across qualified producers, premix houses and distributors and return every bid normalised on the same basis — usually within 48 hours.