NPC has announced that it will be setting up a new facility for cellobiose products at the company’s Gotsu Works in Shimane Prefecture to facilitate its entrance into the functional oligosaccharide market. NPC has been developing exclusive technologies to produce cellobiose from wood cellulose and a new manufacturing line is due to commence operation in October 2007.

Cellobiose, found in pine needles and maize stalks, is known for its resistance to digestion: it is not affected by the body’s digestive enzymes and passes intact to the large intestine. There, cellobiose is turned by butyric acid bacteria into butyric acid, which in turn facilitates the metabolism of epithelial cells lining the large intestine and stimulates effective ingestion.

Focusing on the specific potential of cellobiose, NPC has been exploring its use in animal feed. If supplied to shoats, the young pigs ingest more food and gain weight faster. Also, when fed to cattle the digestion rate of grains and fibers is significantly facilitated. Moreover, NPC is conducting joint research with Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a company with considerable knowledge of butyric acid bacteria, in order to discover further benefits of cellobiose and to develop a wide range of applications in addition to animal feed — in functional foods, drugs, cosmetics, etc.