FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE

Introduced: January 1980

Classification Context

Section:: CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
Class:: BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
Subclass:: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE

Description

C12P covers biotechnological and enzymatic synthesis processes used to produce desired chemical compounds, compositions, or to resolve racemic mixtures into optically pure isomers. This subclass encompasses fermentation-based chemical manufacturing, enzyme-catalyzed reactions for organic synthesis, and bioconversion processes across pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and industrial compounds. It includes microbial fermentation for metabolite production, recombinant enzyme applications, and biocatalytic transformations, but excludes processes primarily directed at beverage production (beer, wine, spirits, vinegar) which are covered separately within C12. Related processes involving genetic modification of organisms for enhanced bioproduction fall within C12N.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass C12P recorded 146,875 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 13,680 in 2013 to 13,214 in 2023 (-3%), peaking at 14,303 applications in 2022. The most active applicants in class C12 are CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (10,330 applications), HARVARD UNIVERSITY (7,308 applications) and UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (6,383 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

In class comparison

C12P ranks 4th of 12 subclasses with filings in C12, with 146,875 applications between 2013 and 2023, 10.2% of the class. Annual filings declined 3% from 2013 to 2023, below the class as a whole (+59%).

Top 10 of 12 subclasses of class C12 by patent applications, 2013–2023
Rank	Subclass	Title	Applications	Share
1	C12N, Microorganisms or Enzymes; Compositions Thereof; Propagating, Preserving, or Maintaining Microorganisms; Mutation or Genetic Engineering; Culture Media	Microorganisms or Enzymes; Compositions Thereof; Propagating, Preserving, or Maintaining Microorganisms; Mutation or Genetic Engineering; Culture Media	650,624	45.3%
2	C12Q, Measuring or Testing Processes Involving Enzymes, Nucleic Acids or Microorganisms; Compositions or Test Papers Therefor; Processes of Preparing Such Compositions; Condition-Responsive Control in Microbiological or Enzymological Processes	Measuring or Testing Processes Involving Enzymes, Nucleic Acids or Microorganisms; Compositions or Test Papers Therefor; Processes of Preparing Such Compositions; Condition-Responsive Control in Microbiological or Enzymological Processes	266,123	18.5%
3	C12M, Apparatus for Enzymology or Microbiology	Apparatus for Enzymology or Microbiology	171,419	11.9%
4	C12P	Fermentation or Enzyme-Using Processes to Synthesise a Desired Chemical Compound or Composition or to Separate Optical Isomers From a Racemic Mixture	146,875	10.2%
5	C12R, Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses , Relating to Microorganisms	Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses , Relating to Microorganisms	119,798	8.3%
6	C12G, Wine; Preparation Thereof; Alcoholic Beverages; Preparation of Alcoholic Beverages Not Provided for in Subclasses or	Wine; Preparation Thereof; Alcoholic Beverages; Preparation of Alcoholic Beverages Not Provided for in Subclasses or	46,945	3.3%
7	C12H, Pasteurisation, Sterilisation, Preservation, Purification, Clarification or Ageing of Alcoholic Beverages; Methods for Altering the Alcohol Content of Fermented Solutions or Alcoholic Beverages	Pasteurisation, Sterilisation, Preservation, Purification, Clarification or Ageing of Alcoholic Beverages; Methods for Altering the Alcohol Content of Fermented Solutions or Alcoholic Beverages	14,580	1.0%
8	C12C, Beer; Preparation of Beer by Fermentation; Preparation of Malt for Making Beer; Preparation of Hops for Making Beer	Beer; Preparation of Beer by Fermentation; Preparation of Malt for Making Beer; Preparation of Hops for Making Beer	10,159	0.7%
9	C12J, Vinegar; Preparation or Purification Thereof	Vinegar; Preparation or Purification Thereof	7,047	0.5%
10	C12F, Recovery of By-Products of Fermented Solutions; Denatured Alcohol; Preparation Thereof	Recovery of By-Products of Fermented Solutions; Denatured Alcohol; Preparation Thereof	873	0.1%

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Glossary

Microorganism microorganisms comprises single-celled organisms such as bacteria, actinomycetales or single-celled fungi, e.g. yeasts; for the purposes of classification, this term also includes viruses, human, animal or plant cells, protozoa, tissues and unicellular algae.

Application references

Treating dough with microorganisms Processes for treating foods or foodstuffs with microorganisms Production of methane by anaerobic treatment of sludge Preparation of fertilisers characterised by a composting step Fermentation processes for beer production Fermentation processes for wine making Fermentation processes for preparing alcoholic beverages other than wine and beer Pasteurisation, sterilisation, preservation, purification, clarification, ageing of alcoholic beverages involving enzymes Removal of alcohol from alcoholic beverages Preparing vinegar by fermentation of starting materials Processes of preparing enzymes DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification

Related Keywords

microbiological production of ANTIBIOTIC(S)producing CITRIC by microbiological processesDISSIMILATION products of microbiological processesFERMENTATION process for producing specific compoundsMICROBIOLOGICAL processes for producing specific substancesMICROBIOLOGICAL processes for separation of optically active isomersminor chemical modifications by MICROBIOLOGICAL processesuse of MICROORGANISMS to produce specific compoundsuse of MICROORGANISMS to separate optically- active isomersSTERILISING of culture media for microorganismsproducing STEROIDS by microbiological processespreparing TOXINS by microbiological processespreparation of VITAMIN(S) by microbiological processes

21 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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C12P 1/00 Preparation of compounds or compositions, not provided for in groups , by using microorganisms or enzymes; General processes for the preparation of compounds or compositions by using microorganisms or enzymes
C12P 11/00 Preparation of sulfur-containing organic compounds
C12P 13/00 Preparation of nitrogen-containing organic compounds
C12P 15/00 Preparation of compounds containing at least three condensed carbocyclic rings
C12P 17/00 Preparation of heterocyclic carbon compounds with only O, N, S, Se, or Te as ring hetero atoms
C12P 19/00 Preparation of compounds containing saccharide radicals
C12P 21/00 Preparation of peptides or proteins
C12P 23/00 Preparation of compounds containing a cyclohexene ring having an unsaturated side chain containing at least ten carbon atoms bound by conjugated double bonds, e.g. carotenes
C12P 25/00 Preparation of compounds containing alloxazine or isoalloxazine nucleus, e.g. riboflavin
C12P 27/00 Preparation of compounds containing a gibbane ring system, e.g. gibberellin
C12P 29/00 Preparation of compounds containing a naphthacene ring system, e.g. tetracycline
C12P 3/00 Preparation of elements or inorganic compounds except carbon dioxide
C12P 31/00 Preparation of compounds containing a five-membered ring having two side-chains in ortho position to each other, and having at least one oxygen atom directly bound to the ring in ortho position to one of the side-chains, one side-chain containing, not directly bound to the ring, a carbon atom having three bonds to hetero atoms with at the most one bond to halogen, and the other side-chain having at least one oxygen atom bound in gamma-position to the ring, e.g. prostaglandins
C12P 33/00 Preparation of steroids
C12P 35/00 Preparation of compounds having a 5-thia-1-azabicyclo [4.2.0] octane ring system, e.g. cephalosporin
C12P 37/00 Preparation of compounds having a 4-thia-1-azabicyclo [3.2.0] heptane ring system, e.g. penicillin
C12P 39/00 Processes involving microorganisms of different genera in the same process, simultaneously
C12P 41/00 Processes using enzymes or microorganisms to separate optical isomers from a racemic mixture
C12P 5/00 Preparation of hydrocarbons
C12P 7/00 Preparation of oxygen-containing organic compounds

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class C12, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 10,330
HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 7,308
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 6,383
JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 5,144
MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY US 4,121
PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL US 3,630
REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS US 3,515
CNRS (CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE) FR 3,499
INSERM (INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE ET DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE) FR 3,371
CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 3,361