The new enzyme, known as Extanda, targets the saccharification step and helps starch producers produce more pure dextrose syrup, saving 3% on raw materials, and additional savings on energy and water.
Extenda – which is a glucoamylase blend – is the third starch solution launched by Novozymes in the past 18 months, as the company looks to focus on increasing yield, efficiency and sustainability in an industry that has seen little innovation in recent years, said the firm.
“We see Extenda as an effective way to break through the processing limits that starch producers face,” said Frederik Mejlby, marketing director for Novozymes' Grain Processing. “Breaking these limits enables processors to reach the industry’s lowest cost of converting starch into sweeteners.”
Novozymes said that the enzyme solution could help to make the starch processing and sweetener production industries more sustainable because producers can run with more solids and less water – which secures significant evaporation savings and increased seasonal saccharification.
It added that the resulting dextrose syrup, or D1, is ‘exceptionally pure’ - and the yield increase means that producers can save raw material input of up to 3% while still meeting production targets.
Alternatively, producers can choose to run with more solids and less water. Not only will this give energy savings of up to $ 1.4/MT in evaporation, it also increases seasonal saccharification capacity of up to 17%, at no capital investment, said the firm.