Interview with Ron Honing – CEO Axxence Aromatic GmbH

Insempra and Axxence Aromatic GmbH recently announced their collaboration and supply agreement to market their natural Alpha-Ionone ingredient to food and beauty manufacturers worldwide.  

We sat down with Ron Honing, CEO of Axxence, to talk about all things flavors and fragrances, the role of biotechnology and how this dynamic market is evolving.  

Ron has more than 25 years of experience in the natural and synthetic fragrance and flavor ingredients industry, founded on his background as an organic chemist.  

Ron, thank you for your time – In what ways do you see the market for fragrances and flavors evolving in the coming years, and how is Axxence positioning itself to address these changes?  

The F&F market is transitioning as businesses are becoming more and more conscious of their responsibility to deliver consumer products that are not only healthy for consumers, but also for our planet and its finite resources.  

The fragrance market is especially challenged to identify and develop new more sustainable production methods, as the majority of fragrance ingredients are synthetic compounds from petrochemicals, which are derived from non-renewable fossil fuel sources. Axxence is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of natural, transparent, and sustainably sourced aroma ingredients for the flavors and fragrances industry. We have made it our mission to further develop our portfolio of natural ingredient products to change the way flavors and fragrances are made. 

Can you talk about any recent developments or innovations in the F&F industry that you find particularly exciting, and how do you see our collaboration contributing to these trends?  

Yes, there are some very interesting developments in the industry, which we are tapping into, to contribute to a more circular economy. We are working on multiple projects using by-products and waste from supply chains as alternative of natural sources for our products. A critical area of innovations is truly founded in developing new processes for physical isolation to fully utilize all the by-products and waste stream to generate novel and unique products that can be used in the F&F industry. 

Another key development is focused on utilizing new biotechnological processes by fermentation or utilizing enzyme systems in plant material, to develop more sustainable compounds, as we are in our collaboration with Insempra.   

Could you elaborate on the role that biotechnology is playing in the F&F industry, and how Axxence is leveraging these technologies to offer customers new and innovative aroma solutions?

Biotechnology is the technology that truly has the potential to shape the future. It’s a challenging field, in which many steps need to be improved to achieve higher yield and scale for broader and industrial applications. However, it’s a challenge with major potential and benefits on so many levels.  

We are seeing incredible innovation and believe that utilizing biotech in the F&F industry will be a competitive angle for the future of the industry and beyond. It will enable us to find alternatives for projected supply-limitations and help develop a platform for cell-manufacturing to enable a broader portfolio of sustainable ingredients. 

Focusing on our partnership, can you elaborate on the market applications for (R)-alpha-Ionone in your experience?  

Alpha-Ionone is a key product in the F&F industry. Insempra’s natural Alpha-Ionone has a more defined and purer aroma, which was achieved by selectively producing only the desired enantiomer, (R)-alpha-Ionone, resulting in a uniquely superior, deep, and fresh violet and raspberry aroma. What makes this specific Alpha-Ionone so unique is its chiral form. Additionally, it is one of few EU-natural certified, vegan, food-grade ingredients of this kind.  

In terms of application areas, Alpha-Ionone is mainly used as a flavor ingredient in the food industry, specifically for fruity/berry flavored products, such as dairy, beverage and confectionary. This product is also used in fragrance applications in the higher segment.  

We are very happy with the launch of this collaboration with Insempra, as it has been quite successful to date. In my experience, it often takes 3 to 5 years for the industry to adapt to a new product standard, but it seems the high-purity and quality is in high demand.  

Thank you Ron!  

Posted by Nicole Laurence