Company: Givaudan

Website: www.givaudan.com

Ingredient Snapshot: Givaudan, the global leader in flavours and fragrances, has announced new flavor and taste solutions which will enhance the perception of freshness in convenience foods.

A range of seven top notes and taste solutions is being launched in phase one: lime, lemon, asparagus, lettuce, basil, coriander/cilantro and parsley. A second phase is already under development.

Delivering the perception that fresh ingredients have just been cut and added to the dish, this innovation is a direct response to strong consumer demand for fresh foods and eating experiences and is intended to revitalise the taste of processed foods.

Fabio C ampanile, global head of science & technology, flavor division at Givaudan explains: “This innovative approach was developed following our last Chef’s Council event in New York, where together with some of the world’s leading chefs we explored what constitutes a freshly prepared eating experience.

“This enabled us to ‘de-code’ what the perception of freshness means, and translates the taste of freshly prepared food into flavour solutions for convenience foods.”

Designed to be incorporated into Givaudan’s existing flavour solutions, to ‘lift’ the profile with a hint of freshness, the new capabilities will deliver a step change in the eating experience of convenience foods.

Freshly cut herbs are often used as a final ingredient to a dish just before serving, to add the desired burst of freshness. Capturing this ‘first burst’ of freshness from freshly prepared herbs, vegetables and citrus fruits for convenience foods has been a challenge, as evaporation, oxidation or enzymatic degradation make catching the headspace to recreate the flavour difficult.

“We have overcome these issues by using our FreezeFrame technology,” said Campanile. “This technique prevents the evaporation, oxidation or enzymatic degradation of key freshness molecules to give us a more accurate analysis and capture the unique top notes.”

“Our freshness solutions will help customers enhance the eating experience of their products by adding a fresh element to the flavour.”

The second phase of solutions, comprising chive, cucumber, ginger, lemongrass and Thai basil, is under development and will be available later this year.