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CPC Subgroup
A23C 21/02

containing, or treated with, microorganisms or enzymes

Full Title

Whey; Whey preparations (concentration, evaporation or drying A23C1/00; milk preparations, milk powder or milk powder preparations in which the chemical composition of the milk is modified by non-chemical treatment A23C9/14; preservation of whey or whey preparations A23B11/80) > containing, or treated with, microorganisms or enzymes

Filing statistics

CPC A23C 21/02 belongs to the parent subclass A23C, which recorded 39,557 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 2,200 in 2013 to 2,472 in 2023 (+12%), peaking at 5,484 applications in 2016. The most active applicants in class A23 are NESTLE (5,075 applications), NESTEC (3,916 applications) and DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) (2,558 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

2 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A23, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

  1. NESTLE CH 5,075
  2. NESTEC CH 3,916
  3. DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) NL 2,558
  4. JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 2,196
  5. SUNTORY HOLDINGS JP 2,133
  6. CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 1,842
  7. CARGILL US 1,708
  8. REPUBLIC OF KOREA (RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) KR 1,341
  9. CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,279
  10. MARS US 1,161