In cosmetics and personal care, the natural ingredient can be used in fine perfumery and soaps and it also has applications in the food and beverage industries, for example, in soft drinks.
“We are the first company in the world that has succeeded in bringing this natural ingredient to market. The new product was developed from a patent into a commercial product within three years,” said Isobionics CEO, Toine Janssen.
Advantages over conventional production process
Traditional Valencene is extracted in low amounts from oranges, a process which is not very efficient, according to Isobionics.
“For the production of conventional Valencene, very large quantities of oranges are required - about two trucks worth of oranges are needed to make one litre of the substance, meaning the process has an efficiency of 0.4 percent,” Janssen told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
As well as being more efficient, the fermentation process developed by Isobionics to produce Valencene Pure also has the advantage of not depending on harvest conditions, said Janssen, resulting in constant quality and quantity of the ingredient, which is of a higher purity and insecticide-free.
Cheaper for customers in the long term
In the long term, customers will benefit from lower prices, said Janssen, which is expected to lead to increased use of the ingredient.
“In cosmetics and personal care, the price per kilo needs to be pretty low in order for it to be used a lot,” he said. “The current prices with the new process are comparable to those of conventional Valencene, but this expected to go down over time,” he added.
Janssen said that the company is hoping to develop the technology for the production of other flavour and fragrance ingredients.