Givaudan squeezes new enticing lemon and lime flavours from TasteTrek™ Citrus
Givaudan has created 10 new and unique lemon and lime flavours through its recent discovery and evaluation of fruit varietals at the citrus grove of University of California, Riverside (UCR) with which it enjoys a strategic partnership. These unique varietals will inspire and influence the next generation of authentic citrus experiences in beverages and foods for Givaudan’s customers. Research has shown that consumers are excited by new variations of traditional citrus blends that do not stray too far from their core preferences.
In the first half of 2009, Givaudan’s TasteEssentials Citrus™ programme, to which TasteTrek™ Citrus is linked, has generated a 25% increase in its pipeline of customer briefs for the creation of new citrus flavours and product reformulations. Givaudan will be providing insights into the programme at a seminar* coinciding with Food Ingredients Europe this month.
Over the last three years, and following this latest TasteTrek™ Citrus exploration of one of the world’s largest collections of citrus fruits, Givaudan has now identified and analysed over 150 citrus fruit varietals both ‘in the field’ and in its laboratories, before choosing the most promising ones for further examination. The new collection reflects the sheer diversity and breadth of lemon and lime flavours as well as the knowledge now available to food and beverage manufacturers through this exploration and research.
‘India lime’, ‘Lo Porto’ and ‘Femminello’ are just three examples from the collection of the 10 new lemon and lime flavours which will be made available to Givaudan’s food and beverage customers as part of its wide range of existing and individually customisable citrus flavours.
‘India lime’ with its sweetness and notes of blood orange, lemon and lime candy with hints of light kiwi has a mild grapefruit finish. It shares some of these qualities with ‘Lo Porto’, an exotic lemon which also has a green-fruity, floral profile with hints of jasmine and candy-banana elements. ‘Femminello’ is a light, fruity, astringent lemon with a sweetness and kaffirlime qualities.
Givaudan’s flavourists, combining their own considerable expertise with the company’s proprietary Virtual Aroma Synthesizer™ (VAS) technology, can rapidly analyse and translate the complex aromas from the fresh fruit into natural and naturally-derived citrus flavours, ranging from the traditional to the exotic and can shorten flavour development time by weeks, if not months, improving speed to market.
“The customer response to our TasteTrek™ Orange Collection was overwhelmingly positive. It was a natural extension of the program to investigate and then launch a TasteTrek™ lemon and lime collection,” explains Dawn Streich, global product manager, citrus. “For the beverage and food industry, this new expanded ingredient palette, combined with our technology, offers our customers unique, authentic and brand differentiating flavours to help increase their market success with new citrus product launches.
“Consumers are acutely aware of ingredients, label declarations, health issues, quality and cost. They are looking for new beverage experiences which are authentic, fresh, vibrant, sophisticated and natural and have extremely high expectations for their product choices. But, above all, they want great-tasting products relevant to their lifestyle and need for refreshment,” she adds.
“The knowledge gained from the Trek allows us to expand our thinking toward innovative citrus flavours for the future,” explains Michelle Hagen, beverage flavourist and part of the TasteTrek™ Citrus team. “It’s not only exciting to work with these boundary-pushing profiles, but it is also enjoyable to showcase them to our customers.”
TasteTrek™ Citrus is part of Givaudan’s continuous commitment to the discovery of novel ingredients, technologies and fresh insights to advance innovative flavour creation. By sharing and building the knowledge with customers and harnessing its creativity and the best ingredients, Givaudan can create flavours that consumers love and can ensure optimal taste performance in customers’ products.
Notes to editors:
To coincide with Food Ingredients Europe 2009, media are invited to attend Givaudan’s TasteTrek Citrus seminar* on 18 November, 0800-1000 at the Marriott Hotel, Frankfurt, Germany. To register free, please contact Toni Gill as per below.
The objective of Givaudan’s ongoing TasteTrek™ programmes is to encourage its flavourists to work outside the laboratory by visiting different geographies, experience exotic foods and culinary delights and be inspired by nature – advancing the discovery of new ingredients and supporting innovative flavour development.
The partnership with The University of California-Riverside’s (UCR) Citrus Variety Collection offered Givaudan the perfect environment for citrus exploration. With one of the world’s largest citrus collections of over 1,000 different citrus varieties – many of which are not yet commercially available - and with added commentary from some of the world’s leading citrus experts, UCR presented Givaudan with an unprecedented opportunity to gain new insights around citrus. Givaudan flavourists and analytical chemists experienced numerous exciting and yet-to-be-commercialised lemon and lime varietals which captivated their imagination and spurred on their collective creativity with citrus flavours. Givaudan has already expanded its palette of orange flavours through this collaboration making it one of the world’s leading authorities on citrus flavours.
Givaudan Flavours is a trusted partner to the world’s leading food and beverage companies, combining its global expertise in sensory understanding and analysis and consumer-led innovation in support of unique product applications and new market opportunities. From concept to store shelves and quick serve restaurants, Givaudan works with food and beverage manufacturers to develop flavours and tastes for market leading products across five continents.
For further information please contact
Toni Gill
T +44 1869 353800
E toni.gill@razor-pr.com
Shelby Rohwedder
T +1 212 536 9836
E shelby.rohwedder@coburnww.com