“Out of nature”: Enzybel and Phytozymes form new leader in papain enzymes

05 Sep 2018 --- Enzybel Group, a natural enzymes solutions company, has announced a joint venture with Phytozymes Enterprises (Phytozymes) to set up Enzybel India. This company will position itself as a leader in the Indian and Asian market of papain, producing “out of nature” enzymes from papaya. According to the company, this is a unique opportunity to secure additional sourcing and production and develop new markets and applications.

The joint venture was initially announced at Fi India last month, a major trade show for food and health ingredients in Asia. 

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Enzymes are protein molecules, formed out of peptides which themselves consist out of amino acids, the smallest part of and the basis of all living species. Enzymes are produced from any living organism and are essential for life: bacterial, fungal, animal or vegetal.

Enzybel produces plant and animal-derived enzymes and owns what it claims to be the most efficient and up-to-date facilities across the world within this space. Enzybel offers the latest technology to provide its industrial partners with the highest market standards in papain, bromelain, ficin, pancreatin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin and horseradish peroxidase. 

The use of natural enzymes is constantly rising to answer the food and pharmaceutical needs of the industry. According to Christian Van Osselaer, CEO of Enzybel Group, the increased demand for protein in the food industry today, is supporting the joint venture and the production of enzymes. 

“Our goal is to participate to a better world and provide the market with natural solutions and products. The use of enzymes can be positive for proteins, not only for the feed sector but also for human consumption,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

There is a more significant demand for this in Asia, according to Van Osselaer. “We see big opportunities in these growing markets for new applications and products. We strongly believe that Asia and Asia Pacific will be the most important part of the world that will use enzymes. It is key for us to position ourselves there.” 

India will position the group at the center of Indian and Asian markets.

“We have an important role in contributing here, producing papain with the best standards, out of nature products as always. Respect for the environment and sustainability are crucial for us, as well as innovation. We are confident that Enzybel India, with our local and skilled Indian CEO, partners and employees, will play a key role on the market. We are also very proud to partner with people who share our goals and have the same values,” he explains. 

Enzybel India, acting as the majority shareholder of the new papain factory, will benefit from the high level of expertise of its local team. 

“As we deal with natural and raw materials, it is important to secure the sourcing, at the right place. Papain is grown a lot in Africa, we source it from the Congo and now we are opening India and the market there to follow the growth of the country,” he explains.

“We are dealing with a niche market, we have a small size company, compared to the big players in the enzyme space,” he admits. 

In terms of nutrition, the company foresees many opportunities in the nutrition space for enzymes, with specifically senior nutrition sectors holding potential, according to Van Osselaer. 

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For Vinoth Kannan, CEO of Phytozymes, partnering with Enzybel opens the doors to a new future. “We all share the same vision. We decided to start Enzybel India because we want to combine our respective forces to develop the Indian market. It is a growing market, one of the very important global markets for the future; especially for food and pharmaceuticals ingredients. Indian economy is very good,” Kannan says.

Since 2016, Enzybel Group is present in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province. The group works closely with thousands of farmers in the area. For Enzybel, this investment will facilitate the geographic expansion of the market of papain and lead to the creation of more applications. Enzybel India also represents a complementary sourcing of material. 

According to Erwin Kooij, Sales Manager at Enzybel Group, the news has been warmly welcomed: “Our key customers, who are multinationals, are pleased and enthusiastic that our group opens opportunities in a second country. It is not only for securing the supply chain but also to enable us to cover the entire world needs better.”

“Enzybel is part of a company where partnership is key. This year we had a turnover of €20 million (US$23 million). We are experiencing exceptionally rapid growth and see major potential in our long-term projects,” Van Osselaer explains. 

“It is an important step forward to become a player in this area. We are thrilled with our partners and we strongly believe that we have found a good venture. We are also glad to work with farmers, producers and develop the future market in this space,” he concludes.

By Elizabeth Green

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