Annual Report 2001 - Carlsberg Group

Carlsberg Research Center
59
Carlsberg A/S decided to establish a research and
development department called Carlsberg Biosector.
The department will conduct research and develop
projects that can form the basis for new companies
like Combio A/S, which is a development
company established by Carlsberg together with
Dansk Kapitalanlæg A/S, The Employees’ Capital
Pension Fund, Medicon Valley Capital and Novo A/S.
The first three projects lie within:
• New bio-compatible polymeric materials. Plastic
materials that demonstrate particularly valuable
properties, such as the ability to absorb large
amounts of water and other liquids;
• A new principle for the development of cancer
vaccines.
• Affinyx – a new principle for the identification of
alternative methods to develop medicine.
In addition, Biosector will work on mapping the
genome and the transcriptome of the Carlsberg
yeast and of barley. Furthermore, it has been decided
to establish a department called Carlsberg
BioIncubator, which will strengthen product development
until it can be exploited commercially.
As a result of increased focus on the commercial
potential of the Research Center’s research
activities, Carlsberg A/S has invested DKK 10m in
the company DTU-Innovation together with 6 other
large Danish companies. DTU-Innovation is an
innovation company at the Technical University of
Denmark.
The Carlsberg Research Laboratory
The task of the Carlsberg Research Laboratory is
to provide the following services to beer brewing
activities worldwide:
• Continuous improvement of quality;
• Expert solutions to any production problems;
• Lowest possible production costs based on research;
• Range of goods based on research;
• Delivery of Carlsberg yeast to production sites;
• Optimum positioning of Carlsberg by preparing
Carlsberg for the implementation of future biotechnology.
These services are requested by Carlsberg
Breweries A/S through Carlsberg Corporate Supply
Chain.
Carlsberg A/S has the ownership of the
Carlsberg brand and the Carlsberg yeast. Consequently,
it is the responsibility of the Carlsberg Research
Center to conduct brewery related research
to ensure that the “Carlsberg Golden
Words” are observed globally in relation to the
brewing of Carlsberg beer.
In working the Carlsberg breweries it should be a
constant purpose, regardless of immediate profit,
to develop the art of making beer to the greatest
possible degree of perfection in order that these
breweries as well as their products may ever
stand out as a model and so, through their example,
assist in keeping beer brewing on a high and
honourable level.
For thousands of years, brewer’s yeast has been
selected for good brewing and flavour qualities
and today it is possible to make an even faster
and more targeted yeast improvement by using
modern scientific methods. Like with many other
cultivated organisms, it is possible to cross yeast
strains. Different strains are crossed in order to
combine the best properties. The results of such
cross-breeding are tested in advanced experimental
plants, making it possible to select the yeast
with the best brewing qualities.
During the past 10 years, new strains of brewer’s
yeast have been developed at the Carlsberg
Research Center, and this has made it possible to
improve both processing time and flavour qualities.