All about Nature

Our production process uses renewable materials: We use fermentation to help nature!

Fermentation to help Nature

Fermentation is an ancient cultural technique known from processes such as brewing beer and baking bread. During fermentation, the characteristic flavors and aromas are formed under the influence of bacteria, fungi and enzymes. At Isobionics®, we are using this power of nature to produce our flavors and fragrances. 

Diagram with text and images: Cutting edge fermentation technology which describes how during fermentation, the characteristic flavors and aromas are formed under the influence of bacteria, fungi and enzymes.

A bolder flavor: How biotechnology enables the production of high purity flavor compounds

Isobionics® is an innovative biotechnology company making high quality flavor ingredients through fermentation. Essential oils have been extracted from fruits and plants for flavor use for millennia. However, this presents some problems; key terpene flavor molecules are often in low abundance, requiring a large harvest for a small amount of product. The extraction of essential oil often yields a complex mixture of terpenes that are difficult to separate. The composition of these can be highly variable, as it depends on weather, location, season, extraction method and variety of plant. This leads to a variable product, with volumes and pricing also changing each harvest. An alternative to this approach is to produce the key components of essential oils in fermentation, in a process akin to brewing beer. In a fermentation, we can control the complete process – there is no weather inside the fermenter – and this means we produce an identical product each time. Moreover, rather than producing a mixture of products like we get from the plant, it is possible to produce a much higher purity molecule, allowing specific flavor notes to be targeted. 

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Our sandalwood story

Isobionics® Santalol is 100% free of endangered sandalwood trees. It is produced by fermentation from renewable raw materials: The starting material for the fermentation process is corn grown in Europe.

Sandalwood oil is extracted from the white sandalwood tree. Plantations of sandalwood trees exist mainly in India. Sandalwood trees can be harvested after 15 years the earliest but high yields and good quality of oil is achieved from trees aged 30 to 40 years and above. This led to harvesting especially of mature trees which are most relevant for propagation. Due to depleting cutting of the white sandalwood tree over decades, the species is listed on the IUCN Red List.

With our new product Isobionics® Santalol, we respond to the unmet market need for a renewable solution. Isobionics® Santalol represents the heart note of sandalwood oil and its excellent cost positioning makes it an attractive alternative.

Learn more about our Isobionics® Santalol