Wacker-Chemie GmbH Has Started Production of the Amino Acid L-Cysteine by a Unique New Fermentation Process
Wacker-Chemie has succeeded in producing the amino acid L-cysteine by fermentation – a real biotechnological challenge! The company has developed this unique process independently at its central research facility ‘Consortium fuer elektrochemische Industrie’ in Munich, Germany. The process is based on a bacterial strain which has been ‘metabolically designed’ to synthesize L-cysteine from dextrose.
This is the second fermentation process for an amino acid successfully developed by Wacker’s biotech experts. In the early 1990s Wacker developed a fermentation process for L-tryptophan.
Wacker started commercial production of fermentation-derived L-cysteine recently. It expects this product to capture a major part of the world cysteine market in view of the improved quality of this L-cysteine compared to cysteine extracted from human hair, feathers or pig bristle.
To market and sell cysteine products in the USA, Wacker has recently formed an alliance with Kyowa Hakko USA, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of amino acids.
Cysteine is used in pharmaceuticals, food and flavors, pet foods, and cosmetics. The world market is several thousand metric tons and is growing at an annual rate of 2 to 4 %.
Wacker regards cysteine technology as a platform targeting new fermentation processes for nutraceuticals and non-natural amino acids.
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