Ajinomoto said it usually derives its L-Arginine from corn starch and that corn prices have more than doubled in the last six months due to greater conversion to fuel ethanol.

"We have been forced to increase the price of L-Arginine due to these significantly higher costs," said Ajinomoto Aminoscience president, Jack Heaton.

The Japanese manufacturer said it uses fermentation to manufacture amino acids of non-animal origin, whereas many other manufacturers may use an extraction process which often utilises starting material from animal origin.

"Although less expensive, the resulting [animal origin] products are often of lesser quality."

"We believe that it is imperative for us to continue to use the same quality, non-animal raw materials which result in the highest quality amino acids available," said Heaton.

Amino acids such as L-Arginine are increasingly being used in the manufacturing process of many pharmaceutical products – about 20 per cent of the top-500 best selling drug products in the world use amino acids as pharmaceutical intermediates.

In addition, L-Arginine is used as an additive in the manufacturing of biologic drugs - a process notoriously plagued by problems with protein refolding - to deter protein aggregation and result in a higher yield of properly refolded, therapeutic protein.

Furthermore, L-Arginine is an essential amino acid that exerts an immune-enhancing effect on the body and also assists in wound healing, helping remove excess ammonia from the body, and promoting secretion of several hormones, including glucagon, insulin, and growth hormone.

The amino acid is also a precursor for nitric oxide, which has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting and protect against myocardial infarction and strokes.

As such it is often recommended in supplement form to people with problems like angina, hypertension, diabetes, kidney- or heart failure and HIV.