Sugar-industry biotech

Sugar-industry biotech applies biostimulants and enzymes to the conventional cane and beet sugar value chain — both to grow more, higher- sugar-content crop in the field and to extract additional value from processing byproducts. Novonesis launched CaneShakti, a biostimulant for sugarcane in Karnataka, India, with field trials indicating over 15% higher yields and 2–3% improved sugar recovery by enhancing plant resilience, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance for farmers and sugar mills. On the processing side, Brazil’s CNPEM developed OpEn, a fully domestic enzymatic cocktail with the potential to transform the country’s biorefinery sector, while Raízen opened the world’s largest second- generation ethanol plant, the Bonfim Bioenergy Complex, with proprietary technology converting sugarcane bagasse into 82 million liters per year of additional ethanol capacity. In Germany, Südzucker — Europe’s largest sugar-beet processor — holds a patent for a fibre-processing apparatus that turns sugar beet pulp into an additional pulp-additive product, extracting more value from a byproduct stream even as the group’s core sugar segment reported a significant earnings decline in fiscal 2025/26.

Key directions of sugar-industry biotech:

1. Crop-side sugarcane/beet biostimulants (Crop-Side Sugarcane/Beet Biostimulants): biological inputs applied in the field to raise crop yield and sugar content ahead of harvest.
2. Bagasse-to-ethanol enzymatic conversion (Bagasse-to-Ethanol Enzymatic Conversion): enzyme cocktails converting sugarcane bagasse (a processing byproduct) into second-generation ethanol.
3. Beet-pulp fibre valorization (Beet-Pulp Fibre Valorization): processing sugar beet pulp, a processing byproduct, into an additional fibre or pulp-additive product line.
4. Domestic enzyme-cocktail sovereignty (Domestic Enzyme-Cocktail Sovereignty): national research institutes developing fully domestic enzymatic inputs to reduce reliance on imported biorefinery technology.

Sectoral value chain#

[crop biostimulant application] ──> [harvest & sugar extraction] ──> [byproduct stream diversion] ──> [enzymatic valorization]
                                                                              │
                                                                      (yield/value
                                                                       recovery)
                                                                              │
                                                                              ▼
[sugar + biorefinery product sale] <─── [processing integration] <───────────┘

Value chain levels#

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Sugarcane/beet biostimulant formulation (Sugarcane/Beet Biostimulant Formulation): field-applied biological inputs engineered to raise both crop yield and extractable sugar content.
• Lignocellulolytic enzyme cocktails (Lignocellulolytic Enzyme Cocktails): enzyme blends breaking down bagasse’s structural carbohydrates for second-generation ethanol fermentation.
• Sugar-beet pulp fibre processing (Sugar-Beet Pulp Fibre Processing): fibre-processing apparatus and methods converting beet pulp into an additional commercial product stream.

The stack pairs field-applied biostimulants with byproduct-stream enzymatic valorization.

1. Field biostimulant application for yield/sugar-content gain (Field Biostimulant Application for Yield/Sugar-Content Gain):
   • a biostimulant is applied to the growing crop to improve resilience, nutrient uptake and stress tolerance ahead of harvest.
   • case: Novonesis’s CaneShakti field trials in Karnataka show over 15% higher yields and 2–3% improved sugar recovery.
2. Lignocellulolytic enzymatic hydrolysis (Lignocellulolytic Enzymatic Hydrolysis):
   • enzyme cocktails break down bagasse’s structural carbohydrates to enable second-generation ethanol fermentation.
   • case: Raízen’s Bonfim Bioenergy Complex uses proprietary enzymatic technology to convert bagasse into 82 million liters per year of additional ethanol.
3. Beet-pulp fibre-additive processing (Beet-Pulp Fibre-Additive Processing):
   • a dedicated fibre-processing apparatus converts sugar beet pulp into an additional commercial pulp-additive product.
   • case: Südzucker’s patented process extracts additional value from beet pulp even as its core sugar segment faces earnings pressure.