22/04/14: BIOMIN and BOKU awarded first place in Houska Prize for fumonisin research

The Houska Prize (Houskapreis)—Austria’s largest private award for applied sciences research—is the latest in a string of celebrated recognitions for outstanding achievements in mycotoxin research at BIOMIN.

April 18, 2014 - In the latest acknowledgement for pioneering research in mycotoxins at BIOMIN, the Vienna-based B&C Foundation has awarded the first place in the Houska Prize for the fumonisin-degrading enzyme FUMzyme®.

The week that began April 7 was filled withback-to-back public recognition for applied mycotoxins research at BIOMIN and its fumonisin degrading product FUMzyme®, in particular. First, came the announcement from Victam Asia that named FUMzyme® the winner of the FIAAP Animal Nutrition Award 2014. Next, the Houska Prize, which honors Austria’s best in research projects, is but the latest feather in the cap for BIOMIN and FUMzyme®, sealing the lead reputation of BIOMIN for mycotoxins risk management research.

For the first place award, the Houska Prize committee at the B&C Foundation identified molds as a recurring problem in agriculture and growing threat to food safety. In addition to the billions in losses due to damage, fumonisins induce severe diseases in animals that could lead ultimately to death.

The latest BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey 2013 found over 21% of all feed ingredient samples containing over 1,000 ppb of fumonisins, a level of fumonisin contamination that poses a medium-to-high health risk for pigs and poultry.

Austria map  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Foundation awarded the first prize to “the BOKU Vienna project”—in reference to the joint BIOMIN-BOKU mycotoxins research—as the project “stood out with a highly topical scientific concept” while offering “a prime example of successful cooperation between (academic) research and corporate partnership”.

At the gala dinner for the award ceremony on April 10 attended by over 400 top decision-makers in the Austrian scientific community, Prof. Dr. Reingard Grabherr from the Institute of Applied Microbiology at BOKU received the award in representation of the successful BIOMIN-BOKU cooperation. The award comes with a first place prize money of EUR 120,000.

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