FRANKLINTON, N.C., June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will present the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)/Novozymes team with a 2005 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for employing enzymes to develop healthier fats and oils for use in applications like margarine, baking and confectionery. Thomas Nagy, president of Novozymes North America, will accept the award during a ceremony held today at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington. This is the second Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award presented directly to Novozymes in the past four years. Novozymes has also been a partner on one additional award during that time period.
According to Hans Christian Holm of the Novozymes Oils and Fats team, Danish legislation banning trans fatty acids from food products and impending changes to the Nutritional Labeling Education Act that will require the labeling of trans fats on all nutritional fact panels by January 1, 2006, in the U.S. have food manufacturers looking for solutions to reduce the amount of trans fats in their products.
"Novozymes sees a huge global interest for our enzymatic interesterification process for production of margarines and shortenings free of trans fatty acids," added Holmes.
To that end, the ADM/Novozymes award-winning innovation uses an enzyme - Lipozyme(R) TL IM - as an alternative to the conventional chemical hydrogenation, which produces large amounts of trans fats. The bio-based method reduces the environmental impact of margarine production while delivering a healthier oil for human consumption free of trans fatty acids.
"It is a great honor and motivation to receive this year's green chemistry award. It ushers in a new era for Novozymes and for the world where we start to use biotechnology for more sophisticated applications with wide-ranging impact such as healthier foods. It also underlies our company's commitment to use biological solutions to create the necessary balance between better business, cleaner environment and better lives," said Nagy.
The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program is an opportunity for individuals, groups and organizations to compete for annual awards in recognition of innovations in cleaner, cheaper, smarter chemistry. The program provides national recognition of outstanding chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use, and that have been or can be utilized by industry in achieving their pollution-prevention goals.
Background:
Human health benefits
Trans fatty acids can lead to increased serum levels of LDL cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol. When too much "bad" cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain, resulting in atherosclerosis. Trans fatty acids can also lead to decreased levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol because a high level of it seems to protect against heart attack. The presence of both high LDL and low HDL levels in the blood stream are strong indicators for heart disease.
Replacing partially hydrogenated oils with interesterified products can have a huge positive impact on American public health by reducing trans fatty acids and increasing poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the American diet. The FDA has previously estimated that listing trans fat on food labels would save between 2,000 and 5,600 lives per year as people either choose healthier foods or manufacturers improve their recipes to eliminate trans fat. Enzymatic interesterification helps food processors avoid formation of trans fatty acids.
Another benefit of the process is the increase of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the human diet. Originally, shortenings were made from animal fats such as lard and tallow. Switching from butter and original shortenings to partially hydrogenated oil (a product of chemical processes) reduces saturates and cholesterol in the human diet. However, it also reduces PUFA, which are naturally rich in liquid vegetable oils, from the human diet. Various foods made from enzymatic interesterified oils are a good source of PUFA, which are essential nutrients, currently limited in the American diet.
Environmental benefits
One of the unique benefits of this process is that it does not require the use of sodium methoxide, a highly flammable and reactive chemical. Instead, the enzymatic interesterification process uses no harsh chemicals. Further, the process generates no waste water or solid waste and reduces the loss of edible oils. Oils are processed in milder conditions so that nutrients in oil are better preserved.
Novozymes is the biotech-based world leader in enzymes and microorganisms. Using nature's own technologies, we continuously expand the frontiers of biological solutions to improve industrial performance everywhere. Headquartered in Denmark, Novozymes employs more than 4,000 people in 30 countries. Novozymes produces and sells more than 600 products in 130 countries. Novozymes A/S' B shares are listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. For further company information, visit Novozymes on the Internet at www.novozymes.com.
SOURCE Novozymes
CONTACT: Yokima Cureton of Novozymes, +1-919-494-3209
© PR Newswire
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