Kyowa Honored for Amino Acid Technology

TOKYO—Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd. received the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Award for the European amino acids market, recognizing Kyowa’s technology for manufacturing amino acid dimers (di-peptides). In particular, Kyowa was lauded for discovering a novel enzyme, L-amino acid ligase (LAL), derived from Bacillus subtilis, that directly links amino acids without chemical modification. Kyowa is using the technology to produce di-peptide alanylglutamine, and is working with customers to apply the technology to help overcome formulation drawbacks associated with traditional amino acids, including insolubility, instability in aqueous solutions or bad taste. Frost & Sullivan cited the application’s cost competitive benefits, as well as its potential benefits to the enteral and clinical nutrition markets.

Kyowa Hakko also announced free Kyowa CoQ10™ 30 mg softgel samples are available via its Web site (www.kyowa-usa.com). The company is using its patented non-yeast fermentation technology t o provide a cost-effective coenzyme Q10 product.