85107Manufacturing a sustainable and cost effective insect repellentClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThe insect repellent field is dominated by synthetic chemical solutions that have a high environmental impact (such as DEET). Many natural compounds have been shown to be active in this arena, but typically are challenging to produce economically at scale, and/or do not have the same efficacy. One natural compound is nootkatone, the scent and flavour of grapefruit, which has recently been registered by the EPA as an active repellent of mosquitoes, ticks and bedbugs (July 2020). Nootkatone is a natural, food-safe compound currently used in the flavour and fragrance industry, and which as a repellent would have a low impact on the environment. The challenge with using this compound in this market is its high price and relative supply scarcity; even synthetic nootkatone, produced via a process with high environmental impact is priced at $2,000/kg, while natural nootkatone is \>$3,000/kg, and less than 20 tonnes/year are produced. Oxford Biotrans has developed a novel biotechnological production route to this natural compound and is currently selling it competitively as a flavour and fragrance ingredient. However, it is now looking to reduce production costs to enable deployment of nootkatone as a low-impact, sustainable, natural insect repellent for fighting disease and agricultural vectors.