The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Global solutions providers IFF and Kemira have announced the formation of Alpha Bio, a joint venture aimed at commercial-scale production of renewable biobased materials, supported by an investment of approx. €130m.

IFF creates flavours, fragrances and sustainable ingredients for the food and beverage, health and biosciences industries. The Alpha Bio venture will utilise IFF’s Designed Enzymatic Biomaterial (DEB) platform technology, which allows access to structurally diverse polysaccharides at scale and under mild process conditions.

The technology allows for the design of functional bio-based, biodegradable materials without compromising performance, using plant-based sugars and water, and replacing traditional fossil-based synthetic polymers with more sustainable alternatives.

Production at the Alpha Bio facility will start in late 2027, with IFF’s DEB technology converting up to 44,000 MT of plant sugars to bioproducts, including high-performance biopolymers for use in various applications such as sustainable packaging solutions.

Erik Fyrwald, IFF's CEO, commented: "IFF’s DEB technology not only guarantees superior purity and consistency compared to traditional biopolymers but also enhances performance across various applications. This innovative approach allows us to combine biodegradability and material sustainability while maintaining the cost efficiency and high performance our customers expect."

Kemira produces sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. The company has been collaborating with IFF using the DEB platform since 2020.

Antti Salminen, CEO at Kemira, said: “The new joint venture will build on this initial success, enabling us to scale up production and provide new performance-competitive alternatives to fossil-based products in key markets, including paper and board packaging, paper coatings and water treatment, while continuing to develop opportunities across other growth markets".

Alpha Bio will operate as an independent entity in Kotka, Finland and will manufacture a specific line of products enabled by DEB technology for exclusive use by IFF and Kemira. The creation of Alpha Bio is expected to generate approximately 30 direct new jobs in the Kotka area, with additional job creation during the project’s construction phase.