Holding a peachy sparkling tea
  • Introduction by Feng Shi
  • The attributes most impacted by sugar reduction
  • Discovering new flavour compounds
  • Identifying active flavour compounds
  • Capturing aroma to create authentic flavours
  • Discovering natural flavour modifiers in the lab
  • Learn with our experts
Introduction by Feng Shi
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Feng Shi, Category Technical Leader

Hi, I’m Feng Shi, Category Technical Leader. Today we’ll explore together how we can find fresh sweet taste inspiration and capture flavours from novel sources. 

  

Here’s what we’ll cover: 
 

  • The attributes most impacted by sugar reduction
  • Discovering new flavour compounds
  • Identifying active flavour compounds
  • Capturing aroma to create authentic flavours
  • Discovering natural flavour modifiers in the lab

  

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The attributes
most impacted by
sugar reduction

Explore

Discovering 
new flavour
compounds

Explore

Identifying 
active flavour
compounds

Explore

Capturing aroma
to create
authentic flavours

Explore

Discovering natural
flavour modifiers
in the lab

Explore

The attributes most impacted by sugar reduction
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The attributes most impacted by sugar reduction

When sugar is reduced various attributes suffer.
This is why we’re constantly looking for new ingredients that can offset those drawbacks.

Sweet 
intensity

Drinking a beverage from a bottle

Sugary 
body and mouthfeel

Young woman eating a coated dougnut with sprinkles

Sugary body and mouthfeel

Fast 
sweet onset

Dark rose beverage

Flavour
 top notes release

Adding ketchup to a hot dog
Discovering new flavour compounds
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Discovering new flavour compounds

We approach this in three key ways:

Photographing fruit

Taste treks

Exploring opportunities to discover the most unique new ingredients that have not yet been used in flavour creation. 

Givaudan’s Chef’s Council chefs

Givaudan’s Chef’s Council

Connecting with some of the world’s most respected and renowned chefs to spot emerging trends.

Handshake

External collaborations

Working alongside academic institutes worldwide to source botanicals with unique taste and functionalities. 

Identifying active flavour compounds
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Identifying active flavour compounds

When a food or a plant has been identified as having interesting sensory properties, the next challenge is how to identify the molecules responsible for this effect.

  

What is the typical concentration of active components in plants?

Plant leaves
Sometimes, the active components are only in the parts per million or parts per trillion range.

How can we filter out conventional compounds
to enrich the potential taste modifiers?*

Non-targeted molecule discovery through sensory guided fractionation

 Targeted molecule discovery by combining human and artificial intelligence

Capturing aroma to create authentic flavours
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Capturing aromas to create authentic flavours

Some aroma molecules can be quite fragile and the freshness of the flavour profile may fade after heating
FreezeFrame® was developed to tackle this issue. But how does it work?

Freeze

Freeze
Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the sample to prevent any reactions that could lead to flavour loss or changes

Separate

Separate
The substances are heated and released or separated with a GC (gas-chromatograph)

Identify

Identify
The substances are identified using mass spectrometry (MS)

Some of the authentic top notes that Givaudan has been able to create using this approach include:

Slice of lemon

Lemon-lime

Slice of watermelon

Watermelon

Discovering natural flavour modifiers in the lab
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Discovering natural flavour modifiers in the lab

 

Natural food processing can also provide inspiration for creating flavours. 
Here’s how it works

Discovering natural flavour modifiers in the lab

 

Maillard reaction

A Maillard reaction is the non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugar (carbohydrates) and amino acids (proteins). It contributes to the sensory quality of thermally processed foods 

Maillard reaction diagram

How many taste modifiers area available in Givaudan’s sweet toolbox?

60

Proprietary taste modifiers

50

Natural modifiers

40

Patented with exclusivity

 

* Find out more in Season 1, episode 3

Learn with our experts
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Learn with our experts
Feng Shi, Category Technical Leader

Feng Shi
Category Technical Leader

Find inspiration for redesigning delightfully sweet experiences.

Mark Yates, Sciensory Scientist Sweet

Mark Yates
Senior Sensory Scientist

Explore how sensory tools can help ensure your innovation’s success. 
  

Episode 5
Ioana Ungureanu, Senior Research Investigator

Ioana Ungureanu
Senior Research Investigator

Find out how physiological processes affect consumers’ perceptions of sweetness.

Episode 6

 

Catch up on Season 1 here

12/12/2024