With biotechnology, it is possible to deliver environmental and economic benefits at the same time.
As certain agricultural commodity prices have fluctuated radically in recent years, enzymes are looking even more attractive. For example, the cost of barley and malt doubled between 2005 and 2008. Considerable savings can be made by the use of supplementary brewing enzymes when rethinking the mix of malt, barley, and other adjuncts. Even when using an all-malt recipe, savings in malt can be made by adding enzymes to the brew.
In baking, the price of the common emulsifier DATEM rose from an average of EUR 6 (USD 8.6, August 2009 exchange rate) per ton of flour treated in 2006 to EUR 7.2 (USD 10.4, August 2009 exchange rate) in 2008, making the use of lipases to replace emulsifiers even more economical. At 2008 prices, Novozymes Lipopan® F gave the same effect as DATEM emulsifiers resulting in 50–75% lower costs and a 100 times smaller dosage.
Cost savings are motivating customers to change. Shifting to enzymes or microbial-based biofertilizers can reduce the impact of commodity price fluctuations affecting other food ingredients or chemical fertilizers. Meanwhile, nature’s resources may be used more efficiently, and pollution may be reduced. Energy may be saved, and limited resources may be conserved.
Novozymes, as one of the world’s leading bioinnovation companies, can list a series of activities related to agriculture or the processing of agricultural produce.
Bioagriculture
One of Novozymes’ business groups is closely involved with agriculture and sells microbial-based products to farmers via distributors – the BioAg group, consisting of about 100 people including R&D, production, and a network of sales representatives, primarily in North America.
In the mid-20th century, the widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides began to boost yields and control pests in agriculture. Seed genetics in the latter part of the last century and the early 21st century have also helped to grow more food per acre. Now a new trend could spark a similar jump in the productivity of agriculture.
“I believe the use of microbial-based solutions is the next wave in agriculture,” says Trevor Thiessen, President of the BioAg group of Novozymes Biologicals.
“While chemicals and seed genetics will always play an important role in growing crops, we see an opportunity to enhance the work being done in these areas through the use of microbial-based products.”
The BioAg group can draw on 27 years of experience in developing, producing, and marketing innovative biofertility products – such as Novozymes JumpStart®, Novozymes TagTeam®, and Novozymes N-Prove® – for farmers and ag-retailers in Canada and the United States. In terms of acreage, Novozymes is one of the leading suppliers of microbial products for broad-acre crops in North America such as soybean, corn, canola, and peas. But the BioAg group also serves other parts of the world: Europe, South America, Australia, India, and some selected Southeast Asian countries.
All the products sold by the BioAg group contain naturally occurring microorganisms. The BioAg research teams are committed to finding new organisms, new strains, better formulations, and better manufacturing processes to improve the quality, stability, and performance of their inoculants. They have a number of exciting developments in the pipeline such as biopesticides and products for nonlegume nitrogen fixation.
“The combination of our expertise in biotechnology with our insight into agriculture puts us in a unique position to supply innovative products,” says Trevor Thiessen, who believes that Novozymes will become a major player in the growing market for microbial products in agriculture.
One aim of the research at Novozymes Biologicals is the reduction in the use of phosphate fertilizers, thus reducing the environmental impact of agricultural production.
Phosphate is a key nutrient in the drive for higher crop yields. For example, a 150-bushelper-acre corn crop requires 34 to 50 kg of phosphate per acre. The phosphate found in chemical fertilizers is a nonrenewable resource because the phosphate rock is mined. The total known global reserves that can be mined only cover the demand for fertilizers for the next 70 years. As phosphate is an essential nutrient for all crops, it is necessary to ensure a prudent management of this resource.
The phosphate needs of a crop may be met in part by applying chemical and/or organic sources of the nutrient but also by drawing upon the pool of the nutrient bound in the soil from previous applications. When phosphate fertilizer is applied, up to 90% of it can become bound in the soil in a form the crop cannot use. Some will slowly become available in subsequent years but 25% or more never becomes available. Novozymes Biologicals has a suite of products such as JumpStart and TagTeam to fix nitrogen or make phosphate more accessible.
Feed
Another area where Novozymes is closely involved with agriculture is in animal feed. Through a partnership with DSM, which markets Novozymes enzymes under its own brand names, Novozymes is a leading supplier of phytase, carbohydrase, and protease enzymes to the pig and poultry feed industries. Phytase enables the animal to utilize the phosphorus in the feed resulting in substantial savings in the need for inorganic phosphorus. Carbohydrases and proteases help the animals better utilize the energy and protein available in the feed.
Feed enzymes not only make animal farming more efficient, but by doing so they also help to reduce the amount of pollutants animals excrete, thus reducing the environmental impact of intensive livestock production.
Bioenergy
Novozymes is the leading producer of enzymes for the conversion of starch into sugars, which in turn are fermented into bioethanol. Current research is focused on the next generation of bioethanol made from biomass. By 2010, the conversion of biomass into bioethanol will be commercially feasible with the help of cellulosic enzymes from Novozymes.
Biogas is another obvious renewable energy source that has not yet been exploited to its full potential. Here, too, enzymes and microorganisms have a key role in future. Together with Xergi, a Danish biotechnology firm, Novozymes has entered into an agreement that enables the two companies to collaborate on the development of microorganisms and environmental technologies for the processing of manure for the production of electricity, heat, and fuels, as well as high-quality fertilizer.
Oil and fat processing
Novozymes helps make healthier vegetable oil products that do not contain trans fats. The lipase Novozymes Lipozyme® TL IM can be used in a cost-efficient process to modify vegetable oils and fats for use in margarine and shortening without forming trans fats.
The company is also working on enzymes that will improve the process efficiency and costeffectiveness of producing low-cost oils, for example from soya or animal fat. The results so far are extremely promising.
Food and beverage processing
In the beverage industry, Novozymes allows fruit juice makers, brewmasters, and winemakers to improve their production efficiency and product consistency through a range of enzyme preparations.
A number of Novozymes enzymes are used to improve the consistency, quality, and freshness of bakery products. For example, Novozymes Novamyl® has revolutionized the commercial baking industry by keeping bread fresh for longer.
As these examples illustrate, Novozymes is closely involved in agriculture or the secondary processing of agricultural produce. It seems only natural to assume that this close relationship will continue and that Novozymes will continue to have a major impact on agriculture and its produce in future, especially to meet the challenge of climate change.