Plain old vanilla doesn't impress Neil Goldsmith, chief executive of Evolva, a synthetic-biology company based in Reinach, Switzerland. This year, his company will release a product that has been created by genetically modified yeast that converts sugars to vanillin. It will be the first major synthetic-biology food additive to hit supermarkets. The product marks a shift for the industry, which has typically focused on the synthesis of drugs and commodities such as biofuels and rubber. Now, synthetic-biology companies are turning to 'fine chemicals': food and fragrance ingredients that command high prices in small batches. "The products take less time to develop, they take less money to develop, and they're much less risky," says Goldsmith.
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