World enzyme demand to reach US$7 billion in 2013

 

 

The world market for enzymes will recover from a difficult 2009 to reach US$7 billion in 2013, benefitting from fast-growing demand from the animal feed and ethanol sectors, according to the new ''World Enzyme Market'' report.

 

The report concludes that continued strong demand for specialty enzymes, as well as above average growth in the animal feed and ethanol production markets, will drive advances.

 

Animal feed and ethanol production are expected to achieve above-average growth, while the food and beverage market will grow at a healthy pace.

 

Animal feed enzymes will achieve their fastest growth in developing markets where rising per capita incomes will continue to increase demand for meat in the local diets.

 

However, demand for ethanol production enzymes will slow from the torrid pace of 2003 to 2008 as countries re-evaluate the use of food-derived raw materials for ethanol production.

 

While the development of second generation biofuels derived from cellulosic raw materials will help sustain demand growth, a variety of processes - including some that do not use enzymes - will be employed, restraining growth.

 

Reflecting the above-average growth in specialty enzymes, nucleases and polymerases, along with various other enzyme types, will outpace the more industrially concentrated lipases, carbohydrases and proteases.

 

The developed economies of North America and Western Europe will achieve healthy gains, while the fastest growth will continue to come from the more rapidly developing economies of the Asia/Pacific and Africa/ Mideast regions, as well as Latin America and Eastern Europe.

 

World enzyme demand grew at a nearly double-digit pace from 2003 to 2008, helped in large part by the rapid increase in world energy prices - which made enzyme-related processes and products more cost effective, and facilitated the legislation of a rapid expansion of the fuel ethanol market, particularly in the US - and the successful launch of several enzyme-containing pharmaceuticals.

 

With the world in a global economic downturn in 2009, however, the market for enzymes has become much more challenging, and growth will moderate significantly going forward.

 

Through 2013, world enzyme demand will average annual gains of 6.3 percent per year, led by pharmaceutical and biocatalyst enzymes, both of which will be less susceptible to the effects of lowered economic activity.

 

Diagnostics enzyme demand will also fair well due to expanded access to medical care in developing countries, and the drive to achieve nearly universal health care in the US.

 

With pharmaceutical companies having difficulty bringing new small-molecule drugs to market, biotechnology will continue to gain in importance, helping to sustain demand for research and biotechnology enzymes.

 

Food and beverage enzyme demand growth will moderate to a below average pace through 2013, reflecting the challenging environment in North America and Western Europe.

 

Similarly, growth in the cleaning product and other industrial markets will also be below average.