(620b) Synthetic biology platforms for the sustainable production of superior flavor and fragrance ingredients

In the wake of the looming climate crisis and the rapid transformation in both economy and society caused by the coronavirus pandemic, corporations see an opportunity to redouble their efforts towards a new, more sustainable development model for the years to come. In the past decade, biotechnology and synthetic biology have made great advances in the sustainable biomanufacturing of precision chemicals that are clean, safe, natural, and have a low carbon footprint. The flavors and fragrances market is estimated at over $20 billion and is one of the industries that is experiencing a more rapid transition from chemical to natural. Moreover, the industry’s susceptibility to supply chain disruptions has prompted the major F&F companies to invest heavily in biotechnology, as it does allow a very rapid development and commercialization of new ingredients, with delocalized production independent of environmental and geopolitical instability, yielding products of reliable and reproducible quality. In this context, Conagen has developed synthetic biology platforms that leverage both bioconversion and fermentation-based production of ingredients with improved sustainability, cost, and quality to support the F&F industry and others. Conagen’s Terpenoid, Lipid & Lactone, and Phenolic & Flavonoid platforms will be introduced. Besides low-calorie, high-intensity sweeteners, sweetener enhancers and bitter blockers, Conagen’s product portfolio includes several fruit and vanilla flavors and floral, fruity, citrusy, creamy and woody fragrances. Some of these are existing ingredients with improved sustainability, cost, and/or quality attributes while others are novel ingredients with improved performance or that have been developed to fill a market gap. Overall, Conagen offers one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of SynBio-derived F&F ingredients in the industry.