Milking algae produces a perfume more precious than gold. Researchers have announced their success in devising a way to use a type of algae to produce aromatic compounds, which is considered a new alternative to traditional methods of making perfumes.
The researchers introduced using "gene editing" technology; Genes encoding enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds in the algae genome. The resin is distilled to prepare “oud oil,” which represents a major component of high-end and expensive perfumes, the price of a kilogram is estimated to be about 300,000 Hong Kong dollars.