Givaudan & Manus Bio launch clean-label citrus ingredient BioNootkatone

Givaudan, a global leader in taste and wellbeing, and Manus Bio, a leading biomanufacturer of natural products, announced the launch of BioNootkatone, a breakthrough ingredient that answers market demand for sustainable, natural, clean-label citrus flavor without the cost and supply volatility of traditional citrus extracts. In addition to these benefits, BioNootkatone offers a refreshing, natural citrus taste that can be used in a variety of food and beverages.

BioNootkatone is the result of Givaudan’s analytical, flavor, and processing expertise combined with the successful application of Manus Bio’s BioAssemblyLine Cell Factory engineering platform. BioNootkatone uses a non-GMO sugar source as the starting material and is made without using any citrus ingredients. It is the most cost-effective and sustainable natural nootkatone available on the market.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this key ingredient to the market, giving our customers the peace of mind that comes from a sustainable product with a consistent and reliable supply. BioNootkatone will allow our customers to focus on what matters: creating delightful and refreshing citrus flavour experiences for their consumers with a clean label,” Fabio Campanile, Global head of Science & Technology Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing.

“Climate effects and agricultural diseases such as citrus greening have established a clear need for natural and sustainable citrus ingredients that are not reliant on agricultural citrus extracts. The launch of BioNootkatone is a major achievement in our successful, long-standing collaboration with Givaudan,” Dr Ajikumar Parayil, chief executive officer Manus Bio.

With a proprietary biomanufacturing and downstream process, Manus Bio and Givaudan are able to deliver a consistent high-quality product. Further, BioNootkatone is less impactful for climate change than nootkatone derived from citrus, because it is a comparatively lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emission ingredient. The development is an example of both Manus Bio’s and Givaudan’s strong commitment to sustainability and their purpose-driven innovation.

Nootkatone is a widely used ingredient in many citrus flavors and products around the world. Givaudan’s BioNootkatone has a superior taste profile and offers signature woody, citrus, and peely notes, without any of the off-notes often found in other nootkatones currently available on the market.

BioNootkatone will become an important component of Givaudan’s expansive Taste product portfolio, supporting its strategy to enable the co-creation of food experiences for consumers. As such, Givaudan is exclusively commercialising BioNootkatone globally with Manus Bio retaining all manufacturing rights.

The companies plan to continue their partnership, deploying Manus Bio’s powerful BioAssemblyLine Cell Factory engineering platform to bring other natural and sustainable ingredients to market.