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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Carl Zeiss Foundation supports interdisciplinary project on CO₂ capture and storage at the University of Jena with 1.8 million euros
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Sewage treatment plants do more than just clean wastewater. They are also sources of raw materials. In the KoalAplan project, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and…
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A research team from the University of Basel has developed a new molecule modeled on plant photosynthesis: under the influence of light, it stores two positive and two negative charges at the same…
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A carbon-fiber plastic composite that heals itself like skin and reshapes under heat is set to revolutionize the aerospace, defense and commercial industries.
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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published the updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the EU’s chemicals regulation, REACH. The update has been prepared…
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Fraunhofer and the University of Freiburg collaborate for future-oriented research
18.08.2025NewsThe groundbreaking ceremony on July 22, 2025 marked the start of construction for the Engineering Center for Sustainability (Ingenieurzentrum Nachhaltigkeit – IZN) on Freiburg’s airport campus. The…
Events
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The GPCA Startup Nexus has established itself as a unique platform that bridges innovation with industry. By uniting groundbreaking startups with influential industry leaders and forward-thinking…
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02. — 03. December 2025 | Berlin, Germany
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24. — 25. November | Brussels, Belgium