Antonio Ligi 2006-04-21
SYNGENTA AG, the world's biggest maker of crop chemicals, will introduce the first enzyme-enhanced corn seed designed to cut the cost of ethanol to take advantage of surging demand for the alternative fuel.

The seeds, which contain an enzyme that turns the corn's starch into sugar for ethanol, will debut next year in the United States, Syngenta's head of development, David Jones, said in an interview at the company's Basel, Switzerland headquarters. The new product may bring in "significant" sales, he said.

Syngenta and US rivals Monsanto Co and DuPont Co are benefiting from demand for corn to make ethanol as crude oil trades above US$70 a barrel. A century after Henry Ford used the biofuel to propel cars, government leaders, including President George W. Bush, are promoting ethanol as way to reduce the global dependence on expensive oil.

The seeds, containing a thermal-tolerant digestive enzyme called amylase, will reduce costs by eliminating the need for mills to add liquid enzymes, said Jones, who oversees Syngenta's seed-development program. Syngenta declined to give an estimate on how much the new seeds will cut production costs. The seeds don't increase yields, just make it easier to manufacture.

Syngenta's shares have gained about 49 percent over the last year.
source:ShanghaiDaily
tag:alternative energy,ethanol fuel,bioenergy