New yeast innovation delivers unparalleled performance for bioenergy industry

Novozymes launches Innova Quantum – a new yeast that breaks the limits of performance without trade-offs.

Innova HQ

October 26, 2021 – Novozymes is introducing Innova Quantum, a new addition to its powerful Innova yeast platform. The robust new yeast enables ethanol plants with longer fermentation times of more than 60 hours to realize higher ethanol yields and processing efficiencies than ever before. And, most importantly, plants can achieve this industry-leading yield without trade-offs which put their operation at risk.

“Innova Quantum is the most advanced yeast available and sets a new industry benchmark for the highest yielding, most robust yeast to maximize producer yield and fermentation reliability,” says Rene Garza, Novozymes’ Vice President for Agricultural & Industrial Biosolutions, North America. “With its launch, we are redefining fermentation and operational performance, as new yeast strain and enzymatic developments unleash additional performance capabilities. Our primary goal is to help our customers protect their plant while enabling the highest level of conversion – and Innova does not require this trade-off.”

A boost for ethanol producers

Innova Quantum has significant robustness and works particularly well under differing processing conditions. This means that ethanol producers can maintain consistency in challenging conditions, maximize the fermentation process towards optimal starch conversion, and achieve the highest ethanol yields in the industry. 

Producers can increase ethanol yield by 2-3%  with the new yeast, which for a 100MGY plant translates to an additional $1-2 million in revenue. Designed to operate in fermentations >60 hours, Quantum with new strain development is capable of converting the most sugar to ethanol while significantly lowering fermentation by-products such as glycerol up to 40% – all without the trade-off and risk of robustness loss experienced with competing yeasts. And, Quantum expands plant flexibility fermenting to >16% w/v ethanol concentrations, while eliminating the need for expensive nutritional supplements. 

“Innova Quantum is a boost for ethanol producers that enables them to realize greater profitability without trade-offs that rob plants of reliability and consistency. Quantum delivers higher ethanol yields without risking robustness,” adds Garza. “They can pursue greater yields while safeguarding their plant, yields, and profit.”  

A platform for growth and protection

Novozymes’ Innova platform is already the most robust yeast in the industry. Within three years of its emergence on the market, nearly half of North American ethanol is produced using Innova yeasts, indicating how the platform fulfils a significant market need for groundbreaking bioinnovation that makes a real, tangible difference for producers.

Based on customer needs and Novozymes’ commitment to a better tomorrow, the launches of Innova Quantum and Element fermentation solutions, the Fortiva Hemi liquefaction solution, and Fiberex F2.5 for fiber-to-low-carbon ethanol production, together deliver the industry’s most holistic, sustainable, and advanced approach to ethanol production.

“Innova Quantum is our latest way of providing producers with peace of mind to convert at the highest level, while reducing plant risk,” says Rene Garza. “We aim to make a significant contribution to the ethanol production industry and support producers as they grow and protect their plants.”

Facts

Innova Quantum

Innova Quantum combines industry leading ethanol yield without trading off robustness allowing plants to operate more consistently across mid- to long fermentation times, achieving new heights of ethanol production and conversion efficiency not seen in the industry.

  • Working in >60-hour fermentation times, Quantum consistently delivers high performance year-round to achieve higher production levels, while minimizing process complexity, challenges, and reactive input costs. Using a yeast bred to thrive through temperature excursions up to 98°F, operators diminish downtime, increase plant efficiency and output in any season, and improve production.
  • With Quantum’s exceptional lactic and acetic acid tolerance, plants can reduce the risk of slowing down or shut down due to fermenter loss, enabling plants and operational teams to power through infection events more easily.
  • Innova Quantum is an advanced, optimized (engineered) yeast with proven resistance to high ethanol concentrations enabling plants to expand throughput, excelling in high ethanol concentrations >16% w/v, fermenting up to 36% solids.
  • Innova Quantum is the most advanced, highest performing yeast available to the industr

Innova platform

Novozymes’ Innova platform is the most robust yeast in the marketplace – with the launch of Drive, Lift, Force, Fit, Element, and now Quantum – the range meets customers’ needs for reliable solutions tailored to their unique operating conditions and performance goals
Developed in collaboration with MicroBioGen, each of the Innova yeasts delivers never before seen exceptional robustness to operational challenges and demands.

Get in touch

Media relations

Frederik Bjoerndal

Frederik Bjoerndal

Novozymes North America CommunicationsTFBH@novozymes.com+1-646-671-3897