Givaudan inks deal with US biotech company

Biofene is the chemical, farnesene, produced using the US biotech company’s bio-based technology and production platform.​

“Our collaboration with Givaudan reinforces our commitment to supply No Compromise solutions to the fragrances and flavors market,”​ said John Melo, CEO of Amyris.

“This project provides yet another example of the breadth of products that can be derived from Biofene - our first-to-market renewable building block,”​ he added.

Sustainably sourced materials​

According to Amyris, the use of Biofene supports Givaudan’s goal of utilizing cost-effective and sustainably sourced materials.

“We have a responsibility to shape and lead the sustainability approach in the fragrances and flavors industry,”​ said Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan.

“Continued investment into research and development is a key pillar of our 5-year business strategy and through collaborations with suppliers like Amyris, we can deliver real and impactful solutions.”​

Upon successful achievement of certain success criteria, Amyris will supply Biofene to Givaudan to derive a proprietary fragrance ingredient for the global fragrances and flavors market.

The fragrances and flavors firm then intends to market and distribute the final product in 2012, with Amyris sharing the economic value created from its use.

Amyris technology develops ‘living factories’​

Amyris has forged a name for itself due to its synthetic biology platform which has evolved by applying industrial synthetic biology to genetically modified microorganisms to serve as what are referred to as ‘living factories’.

The company sees the fragrance and flavor market offering a significant additional opportunity for growth in its renewable chemicals business.

Last year Amyris signed a joint development agreement with fellow fragrance and flavor manufacturer Firmenich. This agreement will see Firmenich fund technical development to enable Amyris to develop a fragrance ingredient for the market.