Proteins and peptides for industry
Proteins, as biobased and environmentally friendly products, are used in many industries, e.g., in food and beverage industry, in cosmetics and detergents, in the chemicals industry and many more. The range of potential markets is huge, however, the tailored production of proteins for industrial purposes has its technical challenges. To manage these challenges, we combine technologies and expertise from diverse disciplines, such as molecular biology, protein-engineering and synthetic biology.

Proteins, Peptides & Enzymes
Proteins are ubiquitous biological macromolecules that are made of long, linked chains of amino acids which are linked by peptide bonds. Short amino acid chains are called peptides. Proteins serve all living organisms as tools and materials for executing different tasks. Some proteins, called enzymes, catalyze chemical reactions by lowering their activation energy. In contrast to chemical catalysis, some enzymes are stereo-specific and, hence, allow the evolution of only one stereoisomeric bond out of two or more possible bonds. From this reaction, only one possible product configuration is established, which is entirely biodegradable, and which does not produce byproducts. Through this process, less resources are required for the purification of the products and disposal of enzymes, leading to a decreased environmental impact. Not only is the environmental impact lowered, but bioconversion is often more efficient and more cost-effective, compared to chemical procedures. In addition, a great number of enzymes is already bed down in industrial applications.
Networks
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Advanced Proteins
We can find proteins anywhere in nature in abundance. This class of molecules has many different functions, for instance as catalysts,…
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Technofunctional Proteins — TeFuProt
The TeFuProt project partners intend to isolate proteins from agricultural residual plant materials, especially from canola oil production.…
News
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Researchers have created a miniature biocatalyst for hydrogen production. It works efficiently with electrons from photosynthesis.
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Textile floating islands: students develop innovation for the city of the future
30.07.2025NewsFloating islands in the middle of the campus? What looks like an art project at first glance is actually an innovative contribution to sustainable urban development. As part of the “AquaTex” project,…
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Binghamton University researchers develop process to turn food waste into biodegradable plastic
25.07.2025NewsResearch paper offers fundamental findings for any company interested in scaling up the process
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International research team with participation from Mainz announces breakthrough in Nature
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Cryo-electron microscopy – Reaction cycle of an enzyme for CO2 fixation decoded
23.07.2025NewsHigh-resolution cryo-electron microscopy makes it possible to study complex enzymatic processes in detail. With this method, a research team of the University of Potsdam and Humboldt-Universität…
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To protect the environment, especially the ocean, many single-use plastic products are banned in the EU. But single-use products made from unmodified natural polymers are allowed. With this in mind,…
Events
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27. — 28 June 2022 | Munich
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18. ‑19 May 2022 | Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina Halle (Saale)
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22th — 23th February 2023 I Düsseldorf