Nerolidol is a rare sesquiterpene alcohol ubiquitous in nature and found in many flowers and plants, particularly in Seville orange flower, also known as Neroli, which gives the aroma chemical its name.

It is recognized for its floral, woody aroma and can also be described as a fresh scent, blending well with citrus, apple, or rose but light enough to complement any type of scent or flavor. Nerolidol is therefore ideal for use in many applications and known for its relaxing effects.

Many brands looking to make products at a large scale using nerolidol find it to be cost-prohibitive and, for that reason, it hasn't been widely used in modern-day product applications.

Yet, consumers seek clean-label fragrance products that are easy on the planet and fit into the clean and conscious fragrance and beauty movement. The Innova Beauty & Personal Care Survey 2020 notes that 51% of global consumers indicate that natural ingredients are very or extremely important to them when purchasing fragrances.

"Biotechnology is opening doors to sustainable ingredients that weren't previously possible," said Kathy Oglesby, head of flavors and fragrances at Blue California. "Our collaboration with innovation partner Conagen provides efficient and effective commercialization, leading us to deliver to our client-creators a full range of captive ingredients, trademarked Plantarôme,™ for use in our flavors and fragrances."

Nerolidol is first in a full range of natural ingredients in the 2022 pipeline of Blue California's Taste, Smell, and Beauty Division. Conagen develops one of the most high-yielding fermentation platforms for producing sesquiterpenes and lactones.

With its functional advantages in many industries due to its moderate polarity and optical activity, nerolidol is also a useful, sustainable fine chemical intermediate.

"Nerolidol is a foundational material with many uses in many markets. Plantarôme™ S is a sandalwood type material, and Plantarôme™ M, which is a natural musk, are both creating a lot of excitement in the marketplace," said Oglesby.

Until now, synthetic musk was primarily used in the fragrance industry because traditional musk sources were wild plants, too rare to be useful, or wild animals, like musk deer and civet cats, too endangered to be ethical. Conagen and Blue California have teamed together to develop a modern, one-of-a-kind, natural, domestic plant-derived musk that is safe, versatile, and biodegradable.

"The launch of nerolidol is symbolic of the collaboration between Blue California and Conagen as we advance in the markets we can serve," said Casey Lippmeier, Ph.D. vice president of innovation at Conagen. "Together, we are revolutionizing the flavor and fragrance ingredient industry with our disruptive capabilities for producing clean, sustainable solutions and product applications."

About Blue California

Blue California is an entrepreneurial, science-based solutions provider and manufacturer of clean, natural, and sustainable ingredients used in food, beverage, flavor, fragrance, dietary supplements, personal care, and cosmetic products. For more than 25 years, Blue California has built a strong reputation for creating value in these diverse natural products and nature-inspired industries. www.bluecal-ingredients.com

About Conagen

Conagen is a product-focused, synthetic biology R&D company with large-scale manufacturing affiliates. Our scientists and engineers use the latest synthetic biology tools to develop high-quality, sustainable, nature-based products by precision fermentation and enzymatic bioconversion. We focus on the bioproduction of high-value ingredients for food, nutrition, flavors and fragrances, pharmaceutical, and renewable materials industries. www.conagen.com