The University of València created on 19 December the knowledge-based company or spin-off Desarrollos Enzimáticos SL, is owned by the institution and will devote its activity to the development of different enzymatic active principles with antibacterial power in order to obtain products that guarantee food safety through applications on processing surfaces, equipment and food. These products offer an effective and biodegradable alternative that reduces the risks associated with the handling of toxic chemicals
A spin-off is based on the exploitation of patents or results generated by research carried out in universities and financed wholly or partly with public funds. To enable such exploitation, a patent licence agreement was concluded by the University of Valencia, the Higher Council for Scientific Research and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, co-holders of the patent, in favour of the spin-off.
Its activity will be based on the development of highly antimicrobial and biodegradable enzymatic disinfectants for non-food detergents and products with food applications. The biggest differentiating feature of these disinfectants is their ability to adapt to specific customer needs, while maintaining a focus on sustainability and food safety.
The research result is co-ownership of CSIC, UV and UPV, regarding the European patent application with no EP24383069, "Combination of endolysisn and glucose oxidase and uses thereof", co-ownership of the Higher Council for Scientific Research, the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Valencia.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest global public health challenges today, with a growing impact on human, animal and environmental ecosystems. The presence of pathogens that pose a critical threat to food safety and the excessive use of disinfecting chemicals has exacerbated resistance and poses environmental and human health risks.
In Desarrollos Enzimáticos SL (ZYMOTOPIA is its trade name) are involved as partners the inventors of the patent Julia Victoria Marín, professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (UV); Julio Polaina, who was a scientist at CSIC and David Talens, now a researcher at CSIC, members of the Molecular Engineering Group of Enzymes of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC); and José Antonio Darós, responsible for the Laboratory of Plant Viruses in the IBMCP (joint center UPV-CSIC). Also part of this initiative is Antonio Alberola, who has a degree in Chemistry from UV.
Benefits and challenges
The benefits of these new alternatives that promise to be less environmentally damaging are greater technological flexibility, sustainability, efficiency and food safety; but they face challenges as there is an increasingly stringent regulatory framework, with pressures on regulations, markets and consumers towards enterprises. The consequences are more limited effectiveness, a lack of standardization that hampers mass adoption and insufficient regulation that hinders implementation in regulated markets.
Source: UV News