c-LEcta
c-LEcta is a Leipzig-based biotechnology company that engineers and manufactures enzyme products (notably Denarase, CellTrypase, NuCLEANase, Acrylerase) for pharmaceutical and food industry customers in over 40 countries, operating as a Kerry Group company and operator of the Kerry Biotechnology Centre.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLeipzig, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What c-LEcta does
c-LEcta GmbH is a Leipzig, Germany-based biotechnology company founded in 2004 as a spin-off from the University of Leipzig, specializing in engineered enzyme products and microbial production strains for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Its core technology is the proprietary ENESYZ enzyme engineering platform, which combines bioinformatics, AI-guided directed evolution, and a library of 5,000+ preselected microbial strains to deliver targeted enzyme engineering supported by three expression systems (E. coli, Pichia pastoris, and a proprietary endotoxin-free Bacillus platform). The product portfolio spans GMP-grade Denarase endonuclease for viral vector manufacturing, CellTrypase for cell dissociation in cell and gene therapy workflows, NuCLEANase (food and tech grades), Acrylerase for acrylamide reduction in coffee, the Plug & Play Biocats collection for API synthesis, Natural Sweetener technology (Stevia RebM), and licensed products (Acrylaway HighT to Novozymes, OptiPhos Plus phytase via Huvepharma, exclusive Cellobiose enzymes for SAVANNA Ingredients).
The company operates three revenue streams: direct enzyme product sales to pharma and food manufacturers, licensing royalties and co-marketing arrangements with industrial partners, and contract enzyme development services. It serves more than 400 customers in over 40 countries through enterprise field sales plus regional distributors in Turkey, China, India, and the US, with a US warehouse operational since 2023. In April 2022, Kerry Group acquired a 92% majority stake; c-LEcta is the operator of the Kerry Biotechnology Centre (opened 2025) and is currently being fully integrated under the Kerry brand through 2026. c-LEcta reports 130+ employees globally and held ISO 9001, EXCiPACT, ANSI NSF 363, EU GMP, US FDA Drug Master File (Denarase), FDA GRAS (NuCLEANase), kosher, and halal certifications, with revenue reaching €10M for the first time in 2020.
c-LEcta firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- c-LEcta
- Legal name
- c-LEcta GmbH
- Website
- https://c-lecta.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- c-LEcta is a Leipzig-based biotechnology company that engineers and manufactures enzyme products (notably Denarase, CellTrypase, NuCLEANase, Acrylerase) for pharmaceutical and food industry customers in over 40 countries, operating as a Kerry Group company and operator of the Kerry Biotechnology Centre.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
c-LEcta industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Enzymes
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enzymes & Industrial Biotechnology Inputs (Enzymes, Microbial Strains, Fermentation Aids) (EUAAAIAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Enzymes & Processing Aids (Baking, Brewing, Dairy, Meat) (CRADAOAH), Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts) (CRADAOAI), Beverage Fermentation Cultures (Beer, Wine, Cider, Kombucha, Fermented Soft Drinks) (AFAJAJAC), Bio-based Food & Flavor Ingredients (Non-fuel Co-products: sweeteners, organic acids, flavors) (EUAAAIAJ)
Keywords
Where c-LEcta is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leipzig
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
c-LEcta business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Enzyme Product Sales: Sale of proprietary enzyme products including Denarase, CellTrypase, Acrylerase, NuCLEANase, and others for pharmaceutical and food industry applications. Products are sold directly and through distributors globally.
- Licensing Royalties: Licensed technologies such as Acrylaway HighT to Novozymes, phytase to Huvepharma (OptiPhos Plus), and co-marketing arrangements with partners like ANKA.
- Contract Development Services: Enzyme development services including custom enzyme engineering and process development for industry partners.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
c-LEcta product offering
Product offeringCore offering
c-LEcta develops, produces and distributes proprietary enzyme products for the pharmaceutical and food industries, manufactured using the ENESYZ engineering platform across three microbial expression hosts. The company also sells licensed enzymes through partners and offers custom enzyme development and bioprocess services to industry customers in more than 40 countries.
Product overview
c-LEcta is a biotechnology company specializing in enzyme products for the pharmaceutical and food industries. The product portfolio consists of two main categories: Pharma products (Denarase®, Denarase® High Salt, Denarase® ELISA Kit, CellTrypase, and Plug & Play Biocats®) and Food products (Acrylerase®, NuCLEANase® food grade, Natural Sweetener, Acrylaway HighT, and Cellobiose), plus industrial products (Phytase and NuCLEANase® tech grade). The ENESYZ® technology platform enables development of customized enzymes and microbial production strains. Products are manufactured using proprietary production processes in Bacillus, E. coli, and Pichia expression platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Denarase®: GMP endonuclease for viral vector manufacturing, recombinantly produced from Serratia marcescens
- CellTrypase
- NuCLEANase®
- Acrylerase®
- Acrylaway®
- Plug & Play Biocats®
- ENESYZ®
Products and services
- Denarase® A recombinantly produced endonuclease from Serratia marcescens for degradation of undesired DNA and RNA during manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products, specifically viral vectors. GMP-compliant with ≥99% purity, used by more than 150 customers in 30+ countries and in 4 commercial plus 40+ clinical phase I-III viral vector manufacturing processes.
- Denarase® High Salt An engineered version of Denarase with improved salt and pH tolerance, retaining activity at higher salt concentrations. Optimal for nucleic acid removal in biomanufacturing processes that benefit from elevated salt conditions, with a GMP grade launched in March 2025 for clinical and commercial-stage processes.
- Denarase® ELISA Kit Quantitative in-vitro detection ELISA kit for Serratia marcescens endonuclease (including Denarase and Benzonase) in biopharmaceutical process samples, 15-50x more sensitive than conventional kits.
- CellTrypase A GMP-compliant, animal origin-free recombinant trypsin-like enzyme derived from Fusarium oxysporum for gentle and efficient cell dissociation in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and research. Manufactured with ≥95% purity in the GMP-certified Leipzig facility and usable as a direct replacement for animal-derived or recombinant trypsin solutions in viral vector, vaccine, stem cell, tissue engineering and cell banking workflows.
- Plug & Play Biocats® Selection of industrially relevant, prequalified enzymes for the pharma and fine chemicals sector, including nitrilases, transaminases, alcohol dehydrogenases, esterases and NAD(P)H oxidases. Used for synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients including cholesterol-lowering drugs, cancer medications and pain relievers.
- Acrylerase® Food-grade amidase for highly efficient acrylamide degradation (up to 90%) in soluble coffee, coffee concentrates and coffee surrogates. Jointly developed and co-marketed with ANKA.
- NuCLEANase® food grade Highly active nuclease from Serratia marcescens produced via GRAS Bacillus sp. for removal of residual host DNA in food enzymes, fermentation products and alternative proteins. Degrades all forms of DNA and RNA into 5-8 base pair nucleotides and received positive GRAS evaluation from the US FDA (GRN No.1146).
- Natural Sweetener Enzymatic technology for producing natural high-intensity sweeteners (RebM) from Stevia via multi-enzyme biotransformation, enabling large-scale production at competitive costs. Marketed in partnership with a leading food additives provider.
- Acrylaway HighT Thermoactive asparaginase developed by c-LEcta and licensed to Novozymes for reduction of acrylamide formation in foods. Active at high temperatures (80-100°C), making it suitable for fried potatoes, cornflakes and coffee applications.
- Cellobiose Functional sugar produced from beet sugar using enzyme cascade technology, with prebiotic effect, calorie reduction and improved texture and flavor profile. Developed exclusively for Pfeifer & Langen / SAVANNA Ingredients GmbH under co-marketing for novel food applications.
- Phytase Feed enzyme that releases phosphate from phytic acid in plants, improving utilization of zinc, calcium and trace elements. Marketed as the most thermostable phytase on the market under the OptiPhos® Plus brand by partner Huvepharma for animal feed applications.
- NuCLEANase® tech grade High-performance endonuclease for industrial applications including biofilm removal in laundry detergents, cleaning solutions and other technical processes, providing a cost-efficient solution for degradation of all forms of nucleic acids.
- Custom enzyme engineering and process development services Contract enzyme development and bioprocess services delivered using the ENESYZ platform for industry partners, covering enzyme engineering, microbial strain development and process scale-up. Documented outcomes include more than 50 enzyme engineering projects with greater than 90% technical success rate over 18 years.
Quantifiable outcome
- Acrylamide reduction up to 90% in soluble coffee applications
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use c-LEcta
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
c-LEcta technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
c-LEcta partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ANKAcoreJoint development and co-marketing partner for Acrylerase enzyme product. ANKA provides laboratory and pilot facilities for customer application support and industrial implementation.
- NovozymescoreNovozymes licenses Acrylaway HighT asparaginase enzyme from c-LEcta for distribution in food applications. c-LEcta developed the thermoactive asparaginase for acrylamide reduction.
- HuvepharmaminorHuvepharma distributes c-LEcta's phytase enzyme under the brand OptiPhos Plus for animal feed applications. Phytase is the most thermostable enzyme on the market.
- Pfeifer & Langen / SAVANNA Ingredients GmbHcoreExclusive enzyme producer for cellobiose enzymes developed for SAVANNA Ingredients. c-LEcta developed corresponding enzymes exclusively for cellobiose production from beet sugar. SAVANNA registers Cellobiose as novel food and markets it.
- BASFminorExpansion of cooperation with industry partners including BASF (among others Symrise, DSM, Thyssen Krupp) starting 2009 for enzyme technology partnerships.
- Turkey DistributorminorRegional distributor in Turkey providing local support and reliable product deliveries.
- China DistributorminorRegional distributor in China providing local support and reliable product deliveries.
- India DistributorminorRegional distributor in India providing local support and reliable product deliveries.
- USA DistributorminorRegional distributor in USA providing local support and reliable product deliveries. US warehouse established for direct delivery.
- European Contract ManufacturerscoreLong-standing partnerships with European contract manufacturers (CMOs) for large-scale industrial enzyme production. Partners follow robust, sustainable production processes with appropriate certified quality standards.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
c-LEcta competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Codexis: US-based enzyme engineering company using directed evolution and CodeEvolver platform for pharmaceutical and industrial enzyme applications. Comparable technology approach (directed evolution) with overlap in pharma enzyme markets.
- BRAIN Biotech: German industrial biotech company developing specialty enzymes and bioactive compounds with proprietary enzyme discovery platform. Direct geographic and technological peer with similar focus on enzyme engineering for industrial applications.
Broad incumbents
- DSM-Firmenich: Global nutrition and health company with significant enzyme and ingredient capabilities across food, feed, and personal care. Operates at much larger scale than c-LEcta with overlapping customers in food enzyme applications.
- IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances): Through its acquisition of DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, IFF is a major enzyme producer serving food, beverage, and industrial markets. A broad incumbent that competes with c-LEcta across multiple enzyme application categories.
- BASF: Global chemical company with enzyme and biotechnology operations. Has historic collaboration with c-LEcta dating to 2009 for enzyme technology partnerships, and operates broadly in food, feed, and industrial enzyme markets.
- Merck KGaA: Life sciences conglomerate whose Sigma-Aldrich division sells Benzonase, the primary competitor to c-LECTa's Denarase. Direct competitive overlap in bioprocessing enzymes used by viral vector and gene therapy manufacturers.
Direct peers
- AB Enzymes (ABF Ingredients): Specialty enzyme manufacturer focused on industrial enzyme applications in food, beverage, and starch processing. Closely comparable business model as a focused enzyme product company with GMP manufacturing capabilities.
- Amano Enzyme: Japanese specialty enzyme manufacturer producing enzymes for food, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic applications. Directly comparable as an enzyme-focused product company with similar customer base in food and pharma industries.
- Novonesis (formerly Novozymes): World's largest industrial enzyme company with overlapping food and pharma enzyme portfolios. c-LECTa's Acrylaway HighT is licensed to Novozymes for distribution, demonstrating direct product overlap and competitive positioning in the enzyme industry.
Others
- Kerry Group: c-LECTa's 92% parent company and global taste and nutrition partner for food, beverage, and pharma markets. As the acquiring parent and integration partner, Kerry is both an enabling ecosystem participant and indirect competitor through its broader ingredient portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
c-LEcta social profiles
Digital presencec-LEcta compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
c-LEcta financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
c-LEcta leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
c-LEcta funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
c-LEcta M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about c-LEcta
What does c-LEcta do?
c-LEcta develops, produces and distributes proprietary enzyme products for the pharmaceutical and food industries, manufactured using the ENESYZ engineering platform across three microbial expression hosts. The company also sells licensed enzymes through partners and offers custom enzyme development and bioprocess services to industry customers in more than 40 countries.
Is c-LEcta a public or private company?
c-LEcta is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was c-LEcta founded?
c-LEcta was founded in 2004. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is c-LEcta based?
c-LEcta is headquartered in Leipzig, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does c-LEcta make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Enzyme Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing Royalties and contract Development Services.
Who are c-LEcta's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Codexis and BRAIN Biotech. Broad incumbents are DSM-Firmenich, IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances), BASF and Merck KGaA. Direct peers are AB Enzymes (ABF Ingredients), Amano Enzyme and Novonesis (formerly Novozymes). Kerry Group is listed as an others.
Does c-LEcta have an API?
No public API is recorded for c-LEcta.
What industry is c-LEcta in?
c-LEcta's product category is Industrial Enzymes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAAAIAL, Enzymes & Industrial Biotechnology Inputs (Enzymes, Microbial Strains, Fermentation Aids), with a secondary code of CRADAOAH, Enzymes & Processing Aids (Baking, Brewing, Dairy, Meat). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2860.