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Can microbes such as baker's yeast be used to make rose perfume? This idea sounds a bit like a science fiction novel, but Ginkgo BioWorks in Boston, USA has made this a reality.
American BusinessInsider reported that Ginkgo Biology Studio has transplanted the genome of the rose to the yeast by modulating the genes of the yeast micro-fungus that contributes to the fermentation of bread, thus creating a new artificially cultivated rose oil, Created an aromatic smell of roses.
Founded by a group of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ginkgo Biology Studio is a biotechnology company that grew up from Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley start-up incubator. In July this year, it received just US$45 million in Series B financing.
Christina Agapakis, the company’s director, told Business Insider at the Biofabricate in New York this month that they wanted to sell the fragrances to perfume manufacturers in the hope of replacing natural fragrances. And synthetic spices.
Ginkgo Biology Studio is not a pioneer in the use of microorganisms to create fragrances. Back in 2006, a group of MIT students made bacteria that smelled like bananas. However, artificial rose oil made by Gingko Biological Studio is the first new rose oil in the perfume market for 150 years. Robertet, France's fragrance company, is already selling this perfume.
Today's perfume raw materials are basically divided into two categories, either natural materials derived from plant and animal secretions, or synthetic materials made by scientists in the laboratory. In contrast, the spices made by Ginkgo Biology Studio are derived from genetically modified yeast. "Because we know how to make yeast, it's a good idea to use yeast as a raw material," said Christina.
Ginkgo Biology Studio only publicly announced the creation of a rose flavor, but in fact they also displayed several other scent, including grape flavor and some other flowers, at the Biological Equipment Summit on "Biology, Art and Conception." fragrance. The chemical process for making these odors is quite complex, but it is only part of the fermentation process where yeast is converted from sugar to alcohol and other compounds.
"Fortune" magazine commented that Ginkgo Bio Studio has developed a technology that uses yeast as a source of various substances. This technology opens the door to industries such as perfumery, cosmetics and even sweeteners that use the new biochemical foundation.
In addition to odor manufacturing, Ginkgo biloba has also been involved in the development of probiotics. In order to prevent the "bad" bacteria such as Clostridium difficile from causing too many diseases, they also cultivated "good" microorganisms that can help the body's digestive system stay healthy.
"Biotechnology is going hot," said Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Gingko Biological Studio. "The tech community is observing whether this will be the next space exploration technology company (SpaceX) or Tesla. Pull."
