Valencene is an orange flavour and fragrance ingredient used in food and drink, personal care and household products, as well as an intermediate to produce nootkatone - a natural, organic compound and is the most important and expensive aromatic of grapefruit.
Traditional methods of producing valencene require its extraction from the peel of oranges, meaning the cost and supply fluctuate depending on the yearly harvest; and the process is inefficient as it takes over 1 million kilograms of oranges to obtain 1 kilogram of valencene.
Fermentation
Evolva says that fermentation provides a more sustainable, economical and reliable supply chain creating new applications for the ingredient.
As an alternative to extracting it from the skin of oranges, Evolva’s fermentation process allows valencene to be made in large amounts in a highly reproducible, contaminant free, sustainable and affordable manner.
The Swiss company says it has developed a cost efficient manufacturing process at large production scale for valencene and will start shipping initial commercial samples to prospective clients in January.
The product has been scaled up and produced for the flavour and fragrance industry in large-scale commercial quantities, and has received good customer feedback; although the market is expected to remain relatively modest for the time being.
“Valencene is a great addition to our growing product portfolio, nicely complementing the nootkatone franchise,” says Evolva CEO Neil Goldsmith.
“It is also a good example of our business strategy, focusing on products with supply chain issues. As we concentrate on our core pathways, we are generating substantial synergies in terms of R&D, production as well as marketing.”
Nootkatone in spray form has been used as a repellent against mosquitos and bugs , and is commonly used in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.