Enzymes & Food Science

Medicon Valley boasts global corporate leadership and strong basic research in enzymes and food science.

Medicon Valley is Europe's most comprehensive enzyme and food cluster in relation to the number of companies, employees, universities and number of people engaged in R&D. It offers investors and companies a wide range of competencies and resources that provide an excellent foundation for expanding food businesses. The region comprises all types of sectors and all types of supporting industries such as machinery, packaging, ingredients and services.

Cutting edge food competencies
Located in the heart of Scandinavia's principal food growing area, Medicon Valley is characterised by a historical focus on food. This is a major factor in making the region particularly fertile for networking and research cooperation. Research is generally conducted as joint projects between food companies and research institutions, such as the Functional Food Science Centre located in Lund, Sweden.

A number of research institutions and companies in Medicon Valley focus on the use of food products in disease prevention and treatment. The background is the explosion in health costs and the need for new solution models or perhaps even a new health care paradigm for solving future health problems. Food products from several companies, such as Probi and BioGaia, are currently undergoing tests to determine their health benefits.

Major corporate companies within enzymes
Novozymes, the biotech-based world leader in enzymes and microorganisms, is located in Medicon Valley. With more than 100 types of enzymes and microorganisms and no less than 700 different products, Novozymes has the largest product portfolio in the world. Novozymes employs some 4,000 staff, half of which are based in Medicon Valley.

A number of other companies in Medicon Valley are active within enzymes and probiotics, including Chr. Hansen, Bifodan, Danisco, Probi, BioGaia, Carlsberg, Arla, Skånemejerier and Unizyme Laboratories.