LONDON — ABF Ingredients, a division of Associated British Foods, has announced the merger of two U.S. business units, Protient, Inc. and PGP International.

Protient, which is headquartered in Roseville, Minn., and PGP International, headquartered in Woodland, Calif., will operate under the PGP International name.

"Following a review of various operating options, market strategies and customer commonalities, it was clear bringing these two business units into a closer working relationship would prove to be a significant next step in expanding our North American based value-added ingredients platform," said Stephen Catling, chief executive officer of the ABF Ingredients Group. "PGP International’s proven expertise in leading edge product development and applications — serving the sport nutrition, cereal and bar markets — combined with the dairy protein expertise of Protient will be a foundation from which we will grow and expand our capabilities to better serve our customers."

The merger is expected to take a few months to complete.