IFF’s DEB platform sees large-scale use in home care applications

Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) platform debuts in laundry formulations with major consumer packaged goods launch

IFF, a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, announced the first large-scale commercial use of its Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB) platform, as a major consumer packaged goods (CPG) company has launched a new laundry detergent formulation enhanced by DEB technology. The formulation delivers improved fabric softness and cleaning performance while replacing non-biodegradable ingredients with a readily biodegradable alternative.

“DEB has the power to redefine how (bio)chemical materials will look in the 21st century: tailored, functional, nature-inspired and safer,” said Leticia Gonçalves, president of Health & Biosciences at IFF. “It brings together biotechnology, molecular design and sustainability to deliver solutions that were unimaginable just a few years ago. This launch is just the beginning — DEB’s potential reaches far beyond any single category, and we’re exploring what sustainability and performance benefits it can unlock across different industries.”

Developed by IFF’s Health & Biosciences business unit, the DEB platform leverages advanced bioscience to create unique and structurally diverse polysaccharides like those found in nature, but at scale, with accuracy and consistency typically only found in traditional industrial polymers.

Engineered from renewable plant sugar sources, these biomaterials are customized to enable tailored functionality and deliver specific performance attributes across applications. In laundry formulations, the Lyrature portfolio with DEB-based products will replace persistent, non-biodegradable ingredients such as polyquaterniums, offering a bio-based solution that enhances surface modification and supports anti-redeposition benefits.

IFF is further scaling DEB through its joint venture with Kemira, Alpha Bio, which will house a first-of-its-kind manufacturing asset dedicated to DEB-based materials.