Lallemand invests in Livzym to increase enzyme development and production in Turkey

05 Aug 2024 --- Fermentation ingredient specialist Lallemand has strategically invested in Turkey-based enzyme company Livzym Biotechnologies. The equity investment was carried out through Swiss affiliate Danstar Ferment to collaborate in the industrial enzyme segment.

“We are committed to making biotechnology one of the answers to the challenges the world faces with respect to nutrition, health and the environment. Lallemand is a major global producer of yeast and entered the baking enzyme market in 2019 with our proprietary LallZyme range based on our yeast technology,” says Lars Asferg, president of Lallemand Bio-Ingredients.

“We have since expanded our enzyme presence with acquisitions of the BASF Nutrilife food and ‘Spartec’ biofuel enzymes businesses.”

Diversifying enzymes
Lallemand will market and distribute Livzym enzymes to customers worldwide. The companies will cooperate to develop and produce the enzymes in Turkey. The investment will help finance the expansion of the recently commissioned plant in Tuzla, Istanbul, to meet the growing demand for enzymes.

“The strategic collaboration with Livzym and their fungal development and production platform complements our position within the enzymes sector. The inclusion of Livzym’s enzymes in Lallemand’s portfolio will enable us to provide our customers with an exciting range of high-performance enzymes,” Asferg explains.

Livzym develops enzymes for food and animal feed applications based on its fungi-based technology platform. The company is the first industrial enzyme producer based in Turkey, which will allow Lallemand to reach customers across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and various African regions. 

“The future of food and agriculture is vital for global sustainability, with biotechnology playing a key role in transforming production technologies,” says Dr. Serdar Uysal, founder and CEO of Livzym. 

“We see the investment as a significant opportunity to advance sustainability and enzyme and alternative protein technologies through our precision fermentation capabilities.”

Ongoing transformation
Since the start of 2024, Lallemand has been bolstering the company’s capabilities with a digitalization overhaul and acquiring a significant biotechnology company. 

Lallemand Health Solutions pioneered a digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency and employee experience in its facilities by adopting public cloud technologies and tailored digital tools. These tools facilitate better communication and provide actionable insights.

In addition, Lallemand Bio-Ingredients acquired Swiss biotechnology firm Evolva for a reported CHF20 million (US$23,55 million), enabling the company to produce complex molecules from yeast for the first time. Meanwhile, through its global reach, Lallemand will bring improved economies of scale and market accessibility to Evolva and its proprietary precision fermentation technology.

By Inga de Jong