Global Health & Pharma magazine awarded Conagen this year for its development of natural flavors and fragrances.
Bedford, Mass. (April 6, 2020) – Conagen was recognized by biotech magazine Global, Health and Pharma (GHP) for its contribution to the the biotechnology industry for developing sustainable flavors and fragrances. It awarded Conagen “Best Sustainable Flavouring BioManufacturer 2020 – USA & Most Transcendent Natural Flavour and Fragrance Manufacturer 2020 – USA”
Each year GHP considers nominations for honoring accomplished companies across a spectrum of global industries, ranging from biotech to pharma and healthcare. The Awards Team bestowed Conagen with the flavors and fragrances award, joining the 105 winners in the Biotech Awards 2020 category.
“We thank the GHP Biotech Awards Team for recognizing our accomplishment to provide sustainable flavors and fragrances to the global market for improving access to natural products, and thereby reducing impact on the environment,” said Vice President of R&D, Dr. Casey Lippmeier.
As consumers demand natural products, manufacturers are challenged with scale, supply, and access. Most manufacturers resort to chemical synthesis for creating artificial ingredients. The landscape for creating natural ingredients has changed since Conagen’s breakthrough in developing natural flavors and fragrances aided by synthetic biology.
One of the most popular and demanded flavors in the world is vanilla. Approximately one percent of “genuine” vanilla is supplied around the world. This is attributed to scale challenges of hand cultivation and harvesting from vanilla orchids. Conagen has developed a proprietary vanillin, a compound extracted from the vanilla bean, which has the taste and aroma of natural vanilla. Approximately 85% of vanillin is chemically synthesized, according to Chemical & Engineering News.