Chr. Hansen and TNO Sign Leasing Agreement on Artificial Gut (TIM)

Chr. Hansen is excited to have the latest version of the model in its R&D laboratory, allowing them permanent access and maximal flexibility to use the model in their R&D programme.

01 Sep 2009 --- Chr. Hansen and TNO (Zeist, the Netherlands) have announced an agreement that allows Chr. Hansen to use TNO's latest version of the TIM-1 system in their research facility in Horsholm, Denmark. TIM-1 is TNO's proprietary dynamic laboratory model that accurately simulates the varying conditions of the human stomach and gut during digestion.

In the advanced computer-controlled model, the peristaltic contractions of the gut wall are simulated which allows gradual transport and mixing of the gut contents with the gradually added secretion fluids, such as saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice and bile. The model has been extensively validated and is intensively used in a broad range of studies at TNO for food and pharma companies worldwide. Chr. Hansen is excited to have the latest version of the model in its R&D laboratory, allowing them permanent access and maximal flexibility to use the model in their R&D programme.

"The TNO model is unparalled in its ability to simulate the gastro-intestinal environment, and it helps us to better evaluate the performance of our products under the complex and varying conditions of food digestion and nutrient absorption in the gut," declares Dr. Bénédicte Flambard, Director of Innovation, in Chr. Hansen's Health & Nutrition Division. "Being a market leader within probiotics, Chr. Hansen always set high standards within innovative technologies, and we have high expectations of integrating this model into our strategic R&D."

TNO's Wim van Hartingsveldt, Business Development Manager, adds that TNO's TIM systems, comprising a stomach and small intestinal model and a separate model of the colon, are the result of years of research and a process of continuous product improvement. Today, they represent the best option for the rapid and dependable in vitro assessment of product properties, including digestion kinetics of macro- and micronutrients, release properties of formulated products, survival of probiotics and the assessment of prebiotic function. "The agreement with Chr. Hansen is the latest in a series of TIM leasing agreements with various companies and underscores the relevance of these models for the food industry and their technological excellence" he explains. "The agreement with Chr. Hansen also marks a continuation of a long lasting collaboration with this worldwide supplier of excellent products to food and dietary supplement industries."

Chr. Hansen will lease the TIM-1 model for at least three years. Financial details were not disclosed.