International Flavors & Fragrances and Switzerland’s Evolva Holding have entered into pre-production phase to develop and scale-up (via a third party) natural vanillin for commercial application through a cost-effective, natural and sustainable route. The partners want to confirm scalability and yield targets through a yeast-based fermentation route during the pre-manufacturing phase. “We are very excited about our collaboration with Evolva, an expert in the biotechnology field, on the development of a key flavoring ingredient that is used in IFF flavors and the potential to deliver a market product with industry significance that is operationally scalable,” says IFF vice president of R&D Mark Dewis. “If the scale-up is successful, this innovative solution should provide a sustainable source for what has been a volatile raw material and should provide IFF customers with unique products.”

–International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., www.iff.com