In many industries the enzyme solution for a specific problem is not always easy to find. Most often harsh conditions place excessive demands on the enzyme used. Examples of such conditions are high temperature, extreme pH levels or harsh chemicals used in the industrial process.
Fortunately, our researchers are able to create new improved enzymes for even the most demanding conditions, and all using exactly the same method as nature - evolution.
It is slight alterations or exchanges of the DNA in the cells that cause organisms to evolve new traits, including specialized new enzymes. Such alterations and exchanges, known as mutations and recombination respectively, are completely natural and occur in all living organisms. But they can also be replicated in the laboratory such that the enzymes evolve. Here the process can even be significantly speeded up.
Directed molecular evolution is a highly efficient method for making improved enzyme solutions. By forcing enzymes to evolve in the laboratory, many new enzyme products have been discovered. The first enzyme developed by such methods, a detergent lipase, was developed by Novozymes years ago.