Novozymes

Novozymes A/S (Nasdaq OMX: NZYM B) is a Danish biotechnology company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark. The company specializes in the research, development and production of industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients.

Novozymes is the world's largest producer of industrial enzymes, holding about half of the global market share. The company's products are used in a wide range of industries including household care, food and beverages, bioenergy, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. Some key application areas include:

• Detergents: Enzymes that help remove stains and clean clothes more effectively

• Food processing: Enzymes to improve texture, flavor and nutritional content of food products

• Biofuels: Enzymes to break down biomass for biofuel production

• Agriculture: Microbial products to enhance crop yields and protect plants

• Pharmaceuticals: Recombinant proteins for drug manufacturing

Novozymes has a strong focus on research and innovation, investing about 13-14% of its revenue back into R&D annually. The company has built up an extensive collection of over 50,000 microbial strains which it screens to discover novel enzymes. It also uses protein engineering techniques to optimize enzyme performance for industrial applications.

In recent years, Novozymes has been expanding beyond its core enzyme business into areas like microbial solutions for agriculture and recombinant proteins for biopharma applications. The company has been pursuing partnerships and acquisitions to grow in these new segments. In 2024, Novozymes merged with Chr. Hansen to create a leading global biosolutions company called Novonensis.