Danisco Extends Food Safety Reach

Danisco Venture announced March 22 its investment in the French food safety and protectant company TMI Europe SA. TMI Europe has developed an anti-microbial system based on the natural enzyme, Lactoperoxidase. The system, named Catallix, has the potential to replace existing chemical systems, based on e.g. chlorine, to treat vegetables, fruits, meat, etc. against bacterial infections. Chlorine solutions to decontaminate food products will be forbidden in 2006 according to recent EU regulation. This is expected to create market opportunities for new, competitive and natural anti-microbial solutions.

Danisco Venture is the sole investor in this financing round and will get a minority stake in TMI Europe. Danisco will join the Board of Directors.

Philippe Bordeau, founder and chief executive officer of TMI Europe, remarked, "We are happy to have attracted an investor like Danisco Venture with the application skills and knowledge to help TMI in the market penetration and growth phase of Catallix. Having a corporate venture investor as Danisco on board underlines the high potential of our natural anti-microbial system, Catallix."

Jakob Rybak-Andersen, investment director for Danisco Venture, said, "TMI has developed a very interesting enzymatic food safety system, which is patent protected and approved by the French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) for vegetable use. This combined with the strong process know-how of the company makes us confident that TMI will succeed in penetrating several food safety segments and become a healthy investment for Danisco Venture."