Nagase ChemteX Corporation (Head Office: Osaka City, Japan Tel: 06-6535-2582) established the technology for the industrial production of phospholipase (phospholipase A2, or PLA2) derived from Streptomyces. The subsidiary of Nagase & Co., Ltd. will promptly build a mass production system at Fukuchiyama Plant with the aim to start supplying the enzyme in the second quarter of fiscal 2004, and intends to tap into new markets on a full scale by taking advantage of its parent's sales/distribution channels.

PLA2 is an enzyme which selectively hydrolyzes sn-2 ester of phospholipids, and is widely used in the food industry to modify egg yolk, fat & oil, wheat and soy products, as well as in the production of lysolecithin as natural emulsifiers. PLA2 used to be supplied to the market in the form of extracts from pig pancreas. However, supply problems in the raw materials in recent years have forced users to consider turning to substitutes. Nagase ChemteX Corporation succeeded in the production of PLA2 based on its patent-pending technology of expressing streptomyces genes, which is 200 times more efficient than natural culture. As this PLA2 is known to meet requirements under food regulations such as Kosher and Halal, it is attracting much attention from overseas users as well.

Further, Nagase ChemteX Corporation and Nagase & Co., Ltd. also hope to mass-produce phospholipase D by applying the same technology, and intend to concentrate their efforts in the phospholipids market.

If you have any inquiries about the product details, please forward your e-mail to shigeru.doi@nagase.co.jp.