Chicago, IL (September 9, 2013) – zuChem, Inc., an innovative supplier of glycochemicals and other specialized sugars for the pharmaceutical, food and related industries, today announced the expansion of its zuCarb^TM products catalog. This catalog expansion is part of zuChem’s commitment to meeting increasing demand for rare and modified sugars, and the reagents necessary for their use in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry applications. New products available include rare sugars such as l-galactose, as well as sugar phosphates including β-l-glucose-1-phosphate, α-d-galactose-1-phosphate and β-l-xylose-1-phosphate. Additional new products available include a variety of activated sugars, available on a custom order basis.

zuChem scientists will also be presenting technical updates on continuing product development programs at the 246th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis from September 8 – 12, 2013. Dr. Leila Aminova will present a paper entitled “Production and scale-up of oligosaccharides using an engineered enzyme system”, and Dr. Micah Shepherd will be presenting “Engineered Escherichia coli for the production of TDP-deoxysugars” in the ACS Carbohydrate Division session being held on September 10, 2013. Both papers highlight recent advances by zuChem scientists towards providing innovative biosynthetic methods to solve supply challenges for rare and expensive carbohydrate building blocks.

For more information on zuChem’s zuCarb^TM product offerings, including an updated 2013 catalog, and custom synthesis services, please email info@zuchem.com or call (312) 997-2150.

About zuChem, Inc.

zuChem, based in Chicago, Illinois, is focused on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes to provide unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical, food and specialty chemicals industries. The company provides both “off-the-shelf” availability and custom synthesis of a wide variety of molecules, including rare l-sugar derivatives and other unusual glycochemicals. The company’s fully staffed research facilities, located in Peoria, Illinois, are equipped for small molecule glycosylation, microbial fermentation, biotransformation, as well as other focused services. More information is available at www.zuchem.com or by calling (312) 997-2150.

Chicago, IL (June 17, 2013) – zuChem Inc., a leading producer of unique carbohydrates for human health and nutrition, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark office has recently issued 2 patents – US 8,367,346 entitled “Methods for Production of Xylitol in Microorganisms”, and US 8,338,147 entitled “Process for producing D-Mannitol”. These two patents expand zuChem’s technology portfolio for the fermentative production of natural food sweetener products from abundant, renewable feedstocks.

The xylitol technology was developed by zuChem in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research and the Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation (BRDC) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. zuChem is the exclusive licensee of this patent under its relationship with the BRDC, to whom this patent is assigned. The mannitol technology was acquired from Hydrios Biotechnology Ltd. of Helsinki, Finland as part of a portfolio of patents developed by Hydrios and the Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering at Helsinki University of Technology. This technology is now an important component of zuChem’s fermentative mannitol process, which has been approved by the FDA as a safe and effective method for the production of mannitol.

Xylitol and mannitol belong to a class of specialty sweeteners called polyols, and have traditionally been produced from by chemical hydrogenation. The demand for these sweeteners is on the rise because of their unique health properties and growing demand in products such as gum, candy, beverages, diabetic foods and other sugar-free confectionery products. zuChem’s processes are natural fermentative alternatives to the chemical process and utilize readily available biomass as feedstocks.

“We are very pleased by this addition to our intellectual property portfolio on novel biosynthetic production processes of both xylitol and mannitol,” David Demirjian, Ph.D., President and CEO, zuChem. “Our xylitol process is now in scale-up with our first commercial manufacturing partner and we hope to have product on the market in 2014” Dr. Demirjian is slated to give a presentation of the xylitol process at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology on June 17th in Montreal, Canada.

About zuChem, Inc.

zuChem focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique specialized carbohydrates for the food, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates industries. These specialized carbohydrates are key components of many drugs and drug candidates as well as many specialty food ingredients. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL, with research operations in Peoria, IL. For more information on zuChem’s xylitol manufacturing process and the availability of other specialty chemicals processes, please contact:

Rajni Aneja
info@zuChem.com
2225 W. Harrison, Suite F
Chicago, IL 60612
Tel: (312) 997-2150

CHICAGO, IL and MUMBAI, INDIA (February 11, 2013) – zuChem Inc. and Godavari Biorefineries Ltd. announced today that they have entered into a global partnership combining zuChem’s xylitol technology platform with Godavari’s leadership position in the production and commercialization of sweeteners and renewable sugar-derived ingredients. Under the agreement, the parties will apply zuChem’s proprietary bioprocess technology to produce a bio-sourced xylitol for use as a food ingredient. Godavari is an established producer and marketer of sugar and sugar-derived renewable materials since 1939, with a commitment to providing renewable ingredients to the global food ingredients industry.

“Our partnership with zuChem enables us to expand our sweeteners product portfolio while continuing to build on our biorefinery model, under which we convert otherwise waste biomass components into high value-added renewable ingredients, such as xylitol,” said Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries Ltd.

“We are thrilled to be working with Godavari to deliver this new xylitol product to the market. Godavari is one of the true biorefinery innovators, and we are proud to see our process integrated into their facility,” said David Demirjian, CEO of zuChem.

Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener, contributing about 30% fewer calories than sucrose. In contrast to other sweeteners, xylitol has been shown to be actively beneficial for dental health, significantly reducing the occurrence of dental caries with regular use. It has also been shown to reduce the incidence of ear and upper respiratory infections and can be used as a diabetic sweetener.

Xylitol is primarily used by the confectionary and dental hygiene industries, and is considered the sweetener of choice in sugar-free gums in Asia and Europe. It has been gaining in popularity in the US and North America, but is subject to availability issues and price variability due to shortages of the current raw material used for its manufacture by chemical hydrogenation. The zuChem bioprocess process alleviates these constraints and, combined with Godavari’s production capabilities, will open the market for the development of new xylitol-containing products.

About zuChem Inc.
zuChem develops and commercializes innovative green, renewable manufacturing processes to produce unique carbohydrates and glycochemicals for human health and nutrition. The Company’s proprietary technology platform allows it to produce a variety of specialty sweeteners, pharmaceutical intermediates, nutritional prebiotics and other industrial bioproducts using enzymatic, fermentation and synthetic biology technologies. zuChem is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with research operations in Peoria, Illinois. For more information on zuChem’s proprietary rare sugar manufacturing processes and the availability of other food ingredients, specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates, please visit www.zuchem.com or call (312) 997-2150.

About Godavari Biorefineries Ltd.
Godavari Sugar Mills Ltd. was incorporated in 1939, and in 2009 Godavari Biorefineries Ltd. was established to emphasize Godavari’s expanding focus on renewable products from sugarcane. A part of the Somaiya Group, Godavari is a fully integrated sugar and biofuels producer, and is ranked among the top ten sugar manufacturers in India. Godavari is also one of the largest producers of bioethanol and a pioneer in manufacture of alcohol-based chemicals in India. For more information on Godavari and the Somaiya Group, please visit www.somaiya.com or call the company’s U.S. headquarters at (607) 319-5016.

This technology was developed in collaboration with researchers at the US Department of Agriculture and the University of Illinois. Funding for its development was provided in part by the Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation, the US Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.

Chicago, Illinois. December 9, 2008. zuChem Inc. and Austin Chemical Company, Inc. announced today that they have formed an alliance for Austin Chemical to market and sell zuChem-produced rare sugars produced under its zuCarb™ product line worldwide. Under the terms of the alliance, Austin will represent both zuChem’s product and custom synthesis service offerings to the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry.

“We are very excited to have Austin as our sales and marketing partner,” commented David Demirjian, Ph.D. zuChem’s CEO.  “Austin’s reputation and its long history of success in the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical market will have a significant impact in expanding the customer base for our rare sugar products .”

“zuChem’s rare sugar products such as L-ribose and others are a great fit for our portfolio and are in growing demand by pharmaceutical companies.  zuChem has developed breakthrough cost effective processes that give these products a significant competitive price advantage and we look forward to working with zuChem to make these products more widely available,” said Samuel M. Ponticelli, Chairman & CEO of Austin Chemical.

Austin will be exhibiting at INFORMEX in San Francisco January 27th – 30th, 2009 where it will be introducing new additions to zuChem’s 2009 zuCarb™ product line.

About Austin Chemical Company Inc. 
Austin Chemical is a leading information, services, and products provider to the health sciences and specialty fine chemicals industries.   Austin Chemical’s service products such as sales and marketing, sourcing and procurement, logistics support, distribution, and market investigation have been created to support its suppliers’ and customers’ needs as an asset extension. The company is based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. For more information on products and services offered by Austin, including the zuCarb™ product line, please email info@austinchemical.com or call (847) 520-9600.

About zuChem Inc. 
zuChem focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the food, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many drugs and drug candidates as well as many specialty food ingredients.   The company is based in Chicago, Illinois and has research operations in Peoria, Illinois.  For more information on zuChem’s rare sugar manufacturing processes and the availability of other specialty chemicals, please email info@zuchem.com or call (312) 997-2150.

Chicago, IL (October 14, 2008) – zuChem Inc., an innovative supplier of glycochemicals and specialized sugars for the food ingredients, fine chemicals and related industries, today announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant by the Department of Energy. The award (of approximately $750,000) will be used to support zuChem’s continued development of a novel, proprietary bioprocess for the production of xylitol from agricultural biomass.

During biofuel ethanol production, waste by-products rich in sugars are produced. By converting these waste byproducts into more valuable products for the food ingredients industry the cost-effectiveness of ethanol production can be enhanced. This zuChem project is focused on developing a bioprocess to transform these waste sugars into xylitol, a sugar polyol that is in high demand by the food ingredient and confectionary industry, thereby improving the economics of ethanol production. zuChem’s proprietary process can also be used to make xylitol from waste byproducts of the corn wet-milling and dry-milling industries.

“We are very pleased that The Department of Energy has recognized the innovative nature of our technology and the significant market need for a novel biosynthetic production process of xylitol,” David Demirjian, Ph.D., President and CEO, zuChem. “Currently the production of xylitol is constrained by the limited supply of raw materials. We believe that zuChem’s novel bioprocess for the commercial production of xylitol from agricultural biomass removes this constraint and significantly reduces the cost of xylitol production overall in addition to enhancing biofuel production economics.”

Xylitol is a five-carbon polyol that has gained wide acceptance as a natural food sweeter due to its many health benefits. Xylitol is anti-cariogenic, does not cause a significant insulin response, and there is growing evidence that it prevents ear infections in children. Demand, both in the US and worldwide, is rapidly growing for reduced caloric sweeteners such as xylitol, driven by increasingly health and weight conscious consumers.

zuChem Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many antibiotics, anticancer and antiviral drugs as well as many specialty food ingredients. Please visit www.zuChem.com for more information.

Peoria, Ill (May 5, 2008) – zuChem Inc, a privately held biotechnology company, announced today that it has become a tenant in the PeoriaNEXT Innovation Center.

The Peoria Next Innovation Center is a new technology incubator owned by the Heartland Foundation and managed by Bradley University. zuChem joins fellow tenants, including Caterpillar Inc. and Bradley University’s Heartland Illinois Technology Enterprise Center in the facility that was opened in September 2007. zuChem previously maintained its research operations at the USDA National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research (NCAUR), also located in Peoria, Ill.

“This move marks an important step in our Company’s growth”, commented zuChem’s CEO, David Demirjian, Ph. D. “The PeoriaNEXT facility in addition to excellent resources also provides us with a key location to maintain our ties with NCAUR and other local academic groups.”

Peoria, Ill. is recognized by Forbes as one of the nation’s top metro areas for its low cost of doing business, and is a growing hub of entrepreneurial opportunity ready with key resources to assist economically viable businesses.

zuChem Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many antibiotics, anticancer and antiviral drugs as well as many specialty food ingredients. Please visit www.zuChem.com for more information.

Chicago, IL (July 31, 2007). zuChem Inc., an innovative supplier of glycochemicals and specialized sugars for the food ingredients, fine chemicals and related industries, today announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the Department of Energy. The award (of approximately $100,000) will be used to support zuChem’s development of a novel, proprietary bioprocess for the production of xylitol from agricultural biomass.

The Company received one of only six SBIR and STTR grants awarded under the DOE’s “Use of Cellulosic Biomass to Produce Biofuels” initiative. Xylitol is an important value-added co-product which could be produced by biorefineries to improve economics of running such facilities. zuChem’s proprietary process can also be used to make xylitol from waste byproducts of corn wet-milling and dry-milling industries.

“This a significant step forward in the commercial development of our lead production process,” said David Demirjian, Ph.D., President and CEO, zuChem. “We are very pleased that The Department of Energy has recognized the innovative nature of our technology and the significant market need for a novel biosynthetic production process of this kind for xylitol. Currently, the production of xylitol is constrained by the limited supply of raw materials. We believe that zuChem’s novel bioprocess for the commercial production of xylitol from agricultural biomass removes this constraint and significantly reduces the cost of xylitol production overall.”

Xylitol is a five-carbon polyol that has gained wide acceptance as a natural food sweeter due to its many health benefits. Xylitol is anti-cariogenic, does not cause a significant insulin response, and there is growing evidence that it prevents ear infections in children. Demand, both in the US and worldwide, is rapidly growing for reduced caloric sweeteners such as xylitol, driven by increasingly health, and weight conscious consumers.

zuChem Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many antibiotics, anticancer and antiviral drugs as well as many specialty food ingredients. Please visit www.zuChem.com for more information.

Chicago, IL (March 26, 2007). zuChem Inc., an innovative supplier of glycochemicals and specialized sugars for the pharmaceutical, food and related industries, today announced the launch of its new zuCarb™ product line of rare and modified glycochemicals produced using its proprietary bioprocess technology. This new product offering is aimed at providing a large and motivated research market with a cost-effective source of glycochemical building blocks for drug discovery and development.

“Pharmaceutical products that incorporate glycochemicals have tremendous therapeutic potential; however, only a small number of natural glycochemicals are available as starting research materials and synthetic glycochemicals are expensive and rarely available,” said David Demirjian, president of zuChem. “Our new zuCarb™ product line makes these novel pharmaceutical building blocks readily available, at economically viable prices.”

The first products offered in the zuCarb™ line include research reagent quantities of L-ribose, L-ribulose, L-xylulose and D-xylulose with additional reagents becoming available throughout 2007. In addition, L-ribose is available in kilo or larger scale on a custom order basis.

zuChem also provides custom synthesis of a wide variety of molecules, including rare L-sugars and other unusual glycochemicals. The company’s fully staffed research facilities, located in Peoria, Illinois, are equipped for: small molecule glycosylation, microbial fermentation, biotransformation, and standard synthetic chemistry as well as other focused services.

For more information on zuChem’s zuCarb products and its custom synthesis services, please email zucarb@zuChem.com or call (312) 997-2150.

zuChem Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many antibiotics, anticancer and antiviral drugs as well as many specialty food ingredients. Please visit www.zuChem.com for more information.

Chicago, Ill (November, 2004) – zuChem, Inc., an innovative supplier of glycochemicals and other specialized sugars for the pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, and related industries, today announced that it has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its fermentation-based manufacturing process for mannitol. zuChem’s proprietary process is only the third recognized process by the FDA for the development of mannitol.

Mannitol is a polyol (sugar alcohol) widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of its unique functional properties. It is beneficial for people with diabetes and helps to prevent tooth decay. It is estimated that the worldwide sales for mannitol are $125 million a year.

“The demand for mannitol is increasing, however, because of shortages in the raw materials, prices remain high,” said David Demirjian, CEO of zuChem. Our approach utilizes alternative raw materials and fermentation to manufacture mannitol cost-effectively and efficiently. We are pleased that the FDA recognized our process as a safe and effective and we look forward to commercialization.”

Traditional methods for manufacturing mannitol require a chemical hydrogenation process, which can be complex and cost-prohibitive. zuChem uses bioprocess technology as an entirely new method to produce mannitol which simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the cost.

zuChem is currently evaluating business partners for both manufacturing and sales. The company hopes to announce a strategic partnership early next year.

zuChem Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on commercializing innovative manufacturing processes for unique glycochemicals (varieties of specialized sugars) for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Glycochemicals are key components of many antibiotics, anticancer and antiviral drugs as well as many specialty food ingredients. Please visit www.zuChem.com for more information.