Enzymes Manufacturers Need Novel and High Throughput Technologies

05/09/05 Increasing price sensitivity and market competition are emphasising the need for continuous product development in the European market for enzymes in food applications, according to Frost & Sullivan. Manufacturers are mainly focussing on improving the performance of existing products and developing novel enzymes for niche applications. Given the growing demand for safety and toxicity assessment of enzymes, manufacturers need to conduct many tests and trials before releasing the enzymes into the market. After the identification and testing process, it can take at least two years to bring the new enzyme to the production stage.

Hence, determining whether future revenues will cover these costs is vital. "Researchers need to continuously develop novel technologies to identify and produce new enzymes," notes Kathy Brownlie, Programme Manager at Frost & Sullivan. "Compared to chemicals, enzymes are very sensitive to pH, temperature, humidity and contaminants. In addition there are other difficulties associated with storage because of their limited shelf life." Manufacturers, therefore, need to improve the operational abilities of enzymes in various process conditions to be able to offer them as suitable alternates to conventional chemicals. For meeting this requirement, researchers are developing recombinant enzymes through cloning and by isolating specific complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) strands that encode the required enzyme. Thus, advanced technical knowledge has become a key market differentiator in this product-driven market. "The increasing awareness of consumers about food and beverage products presents enzyme manufacturers with numerous opportunities for value addition and product differentiation," says Ms. Brownlie.

Participants need to invest in new product development on an ongoing basis, while simultaneously overcoming road blocks such as regulations and resistance to enzymes derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Overall, factors such as improved communication channels between suppliers and end-users, along with the adoption of biotechnology by manufacturers and its subsequent acceptance, are also driving demand for enzymes.