Enzymatic degumming is one of the application areas in the oils and fats industry that has grown rapidly over the last decade. In India, many of the important market players have already adopted the new way of refining oils, and it is not hard to understand why: Shifting to enzymatic degumming can lower refineries’ energy demand and oil loss, and reduce by-products and chemical usage. “These benefits are in themselves great opportunities for oil producers. But we also offer our customers new product opportunities and the chance to be at the forefront of bioinnovation,” says Hans Christian Holm, Global Marketing Manager for Oils & Fats at Novozymes.
Enzymes are on a roll in the oil business
Novozymes gives its customers not only a great product, but also the added value of a vast know-how. The company works closely with the customer to ensure a smooth implementation of the new degumming process and products. “When a potential customer approaches us, we look at their needs. Together we define a project where we examine the customer’s raw materials and the goals the customer wants to reach. In some cases, when the customer has very specific needs, we also fine-tune the enzymatic degumming process to fit these goals,” says David Cowan, Application Scientist at Novozymes.
The next step is to upscale lab tests to more real-life refining scenarios. Together with the engineering company DeSmet Ballestra, Novozymes has developed a pilot plant that can be set up on-site in the refineries, allowing the customer to do more realistic plant trials.
Getting the most out of lucrative rice bran oil
Novozymes’ work with rice bran oil is a good example of how a good partnership can lead to problem-solving and beneficial solutions. Rice bran oil, known to balance cholesterol levels, was until recently extracted in limited amounts only. High yield losses, compared to other vegetable oils, meant that a large share of the oil was not used for human consumption. “These losses can be reduced with acid refining, but 1.6% of the oil is still lost in the degumming process. The industry simply lacked a costeffective technology that could improve the refining process. Thanks to Novozymes’ enzymes, refineries can now improve the yield by 1%. But the producer doesn’t only get more oil, the degumming results are better and more consistent, and that gives a higher-quality product,” says Lakshmi Narasimhan S., Account Manager at Novozymes.
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| In A.P. Solvex’s top-notch labs, teams from both companies developed innovative solutions that take rice bran oil refining to new levels |
Pioneering the field in India
The largest producer of physically refined rice bran oil in India, A.P. Solvex, was impressed with Novozymes’ innovative approach and started a close collaboration with Novozymes as early as 2002. Back then, A.P. Solvex pioneered the attractive rice bran oil market by introducing enzymatic degumming at its plants. The company could quickly harvest the higher yields and better quality of its oils. “We’ve worked intensely to make A.P. Solvex a frontrunner in innovation since we introduced enzymatic degumming in 2002. Our hard work has paid off, and in 2007 we received a prestigious national award for our R&D activities from the Indian prime minister,” says A.R. Sharma, A.P. Solvex’s Managing Director.
Today, Novozymes and A.P. Solvex work closely together and have, over the years, substantially improved the enzymatic degumming process. The joint research has led to an innovative way of handling one of the by-products of the process. “When degumming, lecithin converts into lysolecithin, which is a really good emulsifier. It’s obtained in a diluted form, and companies spend a lot in drying costs to concentrate the lysolecithin. Thanks to our close collaboration we were able to recycle and concentrate the lysolecithin that comes out from the centrifuge. After drying, A.P. Solvex can sell this product as an emulsifier to be used in, for instance, animal feed,” says Asha Kembhavi, Customer Solutions Consultant at Novozymes. “In Novozymes, we’re now looking at how we can extrapolate this learning and develop similar solutions for other customers and oil types, like mustard and soybean oils.”
Another novel application that arose from the Novozymes–Solvex cooperation is improved recovery of rice bran oil wax – the vegetable wax extracted from bran oil. “The wax contains a lot of oil, so extracting it means improved yield. But we’re working on a solution that will give both more oil and a better rice bran wax that can be used in a wide range of products,” says Asha Kembhavi.
“Our close work with A.P. Solvex has made these innovative solutions possible. A.P. Solvex has a very competent team, and we were able to benefit from their knowledge and gain access to their highly sophisticated labs. The collaboration is a perfect example of how new ideas prosper when you combine vast enzyme knowledge with industry experience.”