Vanillin is the main component of vanilla extract, one of the most widely accepted and widely used flavors worldwide, with applications in the food, perfume, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Global demand for vanillin is growing and is currently estimated at 20,000 tons per year, primarily produced chemically. Furthermore, the less than 1% of this amount that comes from natural sources does not meet the growing market demand, which already accounts for 4% of the total volume produced.<\/p>\n
Given this, the demand for bioprocesses that utilize renewable sources and consumer demand for natural products have fueled growing interest in alternative routes for producing natural vanillin. In 2015, Nestl\u00e9 and General Mills, for example, announced plans to use only natural ingredients in their production lines within five years. Among the biotechnological strategies employed to produce natural vanillin is the use of microorganisms to biotransform various compounds, such as ferulic acid and (iso)eugenol, into vanillin.<\/p>\n
Faced with this scenario, Biotimize has positioned itself as the first genuinely Brazilian company to produce vanillin biotechnologically. To this end, we utilize a bacterial strain discovered locally that converts isoeugenol into vanillin with a maximum theoretical coefficient of 92%.<\/p>\n
With a mission to provide sustainable, innovative, and safe solutions to increase the competitiveness of biotechnology processes, benefit society, and establish Brazil as a benchmark in the sector, Biotimize has expertise in the production and purification of biomolecules and microorganisms through fermentation processes or cell culture, in technical-economic analysis to enable biotechnology projects, in developing projects for government funding and subsidies, and in developing industrial engineering projects (conceptual, basic, and detailed). With support from FAPESP (S\u00e3o Paulo Research Foundation) through the Innovative Research in Small Businesses (PIPE) program, Biotimize aims to complete product development and launch it in the coming years.<\/p>\n