Improved industrial enzymes in unlimited quantity |
|---|
alpha-Amylase: improved product, improved process
The textile industry usually employs starch to strengthen cotton threads during weaving. Before finishing the fabric, this starch has to be removed in a process called desizing, and traditionally this is done with enzymes called amylases. The first generation amylases dates from the early 1900s and was derived from malt extracts, later followed by amylases produced by bacteria in large fermentation tanks. The company Novo Nordisk pioneered the latest generation: a recombinant desizing alpha-amylase with increased stability. The DNA for this enzyme comes from the bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus, while the bacterium Bacillus licheniformis produces the enzyme at high yield with few impurities, making downstream processing easier. As a consequence, an improved product is obtained while making better use of raw materials and energy.