The market
Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Our business consists of two segments: Enzyme Business and BioBusiness. We provide business-to-business biological solutions used in the production of numerous products such as biofuel, detergents, feed, and crops.
Enzyme Business
Development, production, and distribution of enzymes are a major part of our business, currently accounting for more than 90% of sales. Enzymes are readily biodegradable proteins that are found in all living organisms and catalyze biochemical reactions. Enzyme technologies can typically replace conventional chemicals, improving resource efficiency and generally reducing environmental impact. Enzyme Business is divided into four areas, providing industrial enzymes with unique functionalities for detergent, technical, food, and feed industries.
Detergent
These enzymes are used in laundry and dishwashing detergents. In the process of washing clothes, certain enzymes break down water-insoluble stains into water-soluble molecules that can be rinsed away by the wash water.
Technical enzymes
Technical enzymes are used, among other things, in the transformation of starch into different kinds of sugars. This functionality is used in the starch and fuel industries. Enzymes for bioethanol are a significant focus area. By 2010 we expect that our enzymes will make it possible to produce secondgeneration bioethanol from certain agricultural residues in large-scale production. However, technical enzymes are also used for many other applications in, for example, the leather, textile, and forest product industries.
Food enzymes
Enzymes for the food industry enhance quality and/or efficiency in the production of food products such as bread, wine, juice, beer, noodles, pasta, and alcohol.
Feed enzymes
Adding enzymes to animal feed increases the nutritional value of the feed and improves phosphorus absorption in the animals. This leads to faster growth of the animals and better utilization of the feed, and improves the environment as less phosphorus is released via manure.
BioBusiness
Enzymes sold by Enzyme Business are produced by microorganisms. Within BioBusiness we use similar fermentation
technology to produce proteins other than enzymes that are then, for example, used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries and within agriculture. We also sell microorganisms for various applications in a range of industries. We see a lot of opportunities to use our existing technologies to cultivate BioBusiness across a broader range of applications.
Microorganisms
Microorganisms are a diverse group of microscopic organisms such as fungi, bacteria, and amoeba. They are found everywhere in nature, where they both
form and degrade organic materials. Our microorganisms are used, for example, in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, as well as to clean surfaces
such as carpets and drain lines.
Biopharmaceutical ingredients
Biopharmaceutical ingredients are proteins and other biological substances used in the pharmaceutical industry. Our proteins replace proteins from humans and animals that have traditionally been used in the industry, entailing the risk of transferring disease. Our proteins do not entail this risk and offer further advantages such as cost savings. Using our biopharmaceutical ingredients offers customers alternative solutions or helps them with process performance, consistency,
and compliance.