On March 26, 2009, Nissui established TN Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. (TNFC) through a joint investment with Thailand's major marine processing company, Thai Union Group (51% of TNFC stock is Nissui). TNFC was established mainly for the purpose of utilizing the byproducts that result from Thai Union Group's processing of marine products.
The Thai Union Group is a major manufacturer of canned tuna. TNFC plans to extract oils from the heads of skipjack and tuna used in the process before they undergo heat processing, and produce high-purity functional lipids that are not only clean and stable, but compliant with the global standards for edible fish oils. The TNFC plant and its products are compliant with EU HACCP standards and have even received Kosher and Halal certification. After undergoing final purification at the Tsukuba Plant, the product will be sold to European and U.S. manufacturers as DHA oil for infant formula, thereby accelerating the expansion of the global market in this field.