Introduction

Murase from the Food Business Division here.

Digzyme Inc. (hereinafter “our company”) exhibited at Food Development Expo 2025, held from October 15 (Wed) to 17 (Fri), 2025. During the event, our CTO, Mr. Nakamura, gave a talk in the “Exhibitor & Special Presentations” program titled:
“Case Studies of Industrial Enzyme R&D at Digzyme for Developing Differentiated Flavors, Aromas, and Textures.”

We are pleased to share that this presentation has been re-recorded and is now available on YouTube.

In conjunction with our participation in this year’s exhibition and the release of the presentation video, we have compiled a Q&A featuring the topics that were asked most frequently during the event.
This article is designed for those who posed in-depth questions following our “Exhibitor & Special Presentations” session, as well as for visitors who expressed broader interest in digzyme’s industrial enzymes and our development process.
We hope you enjoy reading through the insights we share.

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Q1.
By using enzymes designed through digzyme’s in silico technology, what new approaches become possible for addressing challenges in flavor and texture development that were previously difficult to solve?

A1.
Our technology allows us to discover and design new enzymes by enhancing or fine-tuning properties such as activity and substrate selectivity based on existing enzyme characteristics. As a result, it becomes possible to achieve more precise control over flavor-related compound ratios and texture parameters such as viscosity and firmness—areas that have traditionally been difficult to modulate.

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Q2.
Besides improving the flavor, aroma, and texture of food ingredients, what other modifications can enzymes enable?

A2.
Enzymes can be used to modify the physical properties of food materials. For example, altering the structure of starch in bread or rice can help prevent hardening over time, and partially breaking down plant proteins can improve solubility.

With conventional enzymes, it is sometimes difficult to achieve sufficient modification under specific materials or conditions. At digzyme, however, we can design enzymes tailored to the desired substrate and environmental conditions, enabling property modifications of materials that were previously challenging.

In addition, we are exploring the use of enzymes to convert or synthesize raw ingredients into food materials with known functional properties.

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Q3.
In the future, can in silico enzyme design enhance the sustainability and production efficiency of food development?

A3.
Enzymes optimized through in silico technology can be designed to reduce by-products and to react under lower temperatures or shorter processing times. As a result, it becomes possible to deliver consistent flavors, aromas, and textures while minimizing energy and raw material usage, offering significant benefits in terms of sustainability and efficiency. Furthermore, by applying appropriate enzymatic treatments, by-products or raw materials that were previously discarded can be converted into new products, contributing to the upcycling of food materials.

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Q4.
What direction will the development of production strains for efficiently producing enzymes designed with digzyme Moonlight take, and what possibilities could this open up in the future?

A4.
Although we did not cover this in detail during the presentation, we are advancing the development of production strains to enable stable, practical-scale enzyme production. Specifically, this involves selecting microbial strains capable of high-efficiency enzyme expression and optimizing culture conditions for large-scale enzyme production.

In the future, we aim to establish a production strain system that serves as a platform for rapidly commercializing innovative enzymes. This will allow us to provide end-to-end solutions—from designing enzymes tailored to specific needs to bringing them to market efficiently.

Closing Remarks

At Food Development Expo 2025, we received many detailed and insightful questions from visitors, which reaffirmed the growing interest in enzyme design.
We will continue to explore the potential of enzymes together with industry partners. We hope that this Q&A proves helpful and provides inspiration for your future product development and innovation.