COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — The Danish Council for Strategic Research has awarded Danisco a grant of DKK24 million ($4.4 million) to look into the nature of enzymes derived from snakes, spiders and carnivorous plants. The four-year project will seek to find the best enzymes that potentially may be used in such areas as food ingredients, detergents and animal nutrition.

“When a spider catches a fly in its web, it injects digestive enzymes into its prey to liquefy it,” said Charlotte Poulsen, in Genencor Enzyme Development for Copenhagen-based Danisco. “This makes it easy for the spider to devour the fly. The digestive enzymes are highly effective, and we are very keen on looking into the dynamics of these enzymes.”