A Brief Trip To Novozyme

In every way possible, lectures can be made very interesting, fun yet very informative at the same time. Of course, who would be able to survive behind these classroom walls for an hour? In addition to that, having to wake up at eight in the morning for lectures! What a way to start our morning, but students’ obligations are still obligations.

I, on the other hand, was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to go on a field trip to an enzyme manufacturing company, Novozyme. It is a well-known company amongst Biotechnology students. During the past few years I was told that many UCSI alumni were sent to Novozyme for internships, and in fact, some of them are already working in this company. It is located in Bukit Jalil which is not very far from here, so I definitely see why it has an edge on UCSI students.

The field trip started off with a brief introduction by one of the workers in the company. This was followed by a presentation on one of their manufactured enzyme products, known as Novamyl. Essentially, this is used in food and beverages industries, specifically widely in baked food. Novamyl is known as a powerful anti-staling baking freshness enzyme that improves moistness, crumb softness, elasticity and also for storage. We were enlightened on the significance of its applications in baking; for instance, not only does it improve the appearance and taste of baked food, it also ensures that the food can be consumed without any harmful substances being added into it. It is primarily known for its enhanced characteristics in reducing the need for emulsifiers or sugars.

Besides that, it is quite economical which poses benefits to its buyers as it improves supply chain efficiencies and margins, and reduces food waste. We were all very impressed by this invention of theirs. We were then taken on a tour around their facilities, mainly their labs. Due to the constant malfunction and lack of lab apparatus, I finally had the chance to have a good look at a few of them as I did not have the chance to operate them during my lab sessions. We were brought to a lab where they perform quality assurance on fats or oils, mainly coming from their customers whose businesses are dependent on high-quality oils. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photographs of any of their instruments in the labs.

There was a lab specifically for the production of beers and other products from the fermentation of raw materials like wheat, barley, etc. There was a lot of fancy apparatus being used by them to come up with large amounts of product. After our lab tour, there was a pop quiz session, Kahoot!, something to liven things up a little. Of course, at the end of this quiz, there would be only three winners who answered most of the questions correctly. In a room of over 40 bright-minded students, what are the odds of winning the first prize right? Well, I would say that luck was on my side that day. The three winners were awarded with a goodie bag each.

To wrap it up, it was definitely a good trip although they discussed in-depth on a few of the enzymes we had already learnt about. Learning about enzymes in class and actually being able to see how enzymes work in factories give us totally different insights. Despite how tired we were from this five-hour trip, it definitely enlightened us more on enzymes and what Novozyme actually is.