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Voodoo Scientific, an innovator in the spirits distillery space, and Ginkgo Bioworks, a company building a platform for cell programming and biosecurity, are partnering to optimise an enzymatic solution to enable distillers to produce smooth spirit products. Ginkgo said it will leverage its extensive protein discovery and design capabilities to design and optimise the enzyme for various conditions in spirits manufacturing, from craft to global-scale production environments. The companies said that many distilled alcoholic beverages produce some degree of “harsh sensation” or "bite" when consumed. In response, Voodoo identified the scientific cause for the harshness and created an enzymatic solution for distillers. Distillers can use the novel enzymatic solution to "produce more premium products by creating smooth spirits". The enzymatic solution is said to also enable the development of new flavour profiles across the full range of spirit types such as vodka and whisky. Joana Montenegro, co-founder and chief science officer at Voodoo, commented: "Providing distillers with a means to eliminate, or control, the harshness of their spirits products is very gratifying. We believe we can enable new innovation in this large global industry and in ways that are truly meaningful to consumers seeking premium experiences.” Ginkgo was the best choice of partners, she added, due to its “unique combination of strong scientific capabilities” and a business model that fits an “early-stage company” like Voodoo. Jennifer Wipf, SVP, head of commercial cell engineering at Ginkgo, said: "Engineering this class of enzyme to operate under the unique conditions required for distilled alcoholic beverages is a great application for Ginkgo Enzyme Services. Improving the functionality of enzymes underpinning critical production processes - making enzymes work better - is an area we're passionate about because it opens up real business opportunities for our customers, especially as they push into new product development." The implementation of the solution does not impact spirits producers’ existing processes or equipment as it is added as a processing aid during fermentation so it does not persist into the bottle.