Flavours and colours

Meet the start-up making canned tuna without the fish: ‘We’re excited about the R&D potential of microalgae’

29-Jun-2022 By Flora Southey

In Germany, a brother-sister duo is developing seafood alternatives from microalgae, plant proteins, and other ‘natural ingredients’. The first product on the table? Vegan canned tuna.

‘The health of people and our planet go hand-in-hand’: How conscientious consumption is driving sustainable nutrition

15-Jun-2022 By Katy Askew

Sustainable nutrition is key to the future of people and the planet. Providing it is an important opportunity for the food and beverage sector to engage with shoppers who are ever more focused on conscientious consumption, FoodNavigator hears.

How Synergy Flavours Michelin-influenced innovation anticipates 'new flavours and combinations'

10-Jun-2022 By Natasha Spencer

Flavourings, extracts and essences formulator, Synergy Flavours takes inspiration from the 2022 Michelin Great Britain and Ireland guide to develop new flavour profiles and pairings.

To be or nut to be: Olam’s new D2C brand Re- on juggling consumer demand for traceability, sustainability and health

07-Jun-2022 By Nurul Ain Razali

Olam’s new direct-to-consumer (D2C) nuts brand Re- says it is tapping into three major trends – traceability, sustainability and health – as it eyes expansion from its Singapore launchpad into wider Asia, the US and UK.

Glanbia Nutritionals launches new nutrient tech platform

06-Jun-2022 By Rachel Arthur

Global ingredient and service solution provider Glanbia Nutritionals has launched TechVantage, a new functionally optimised nutrient technology platform.

Ex-Mars R&D head creates ‘magic yeast’ to bring ‘grown up’ flavours to low alcohol wines

31-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The brainchild of wine-loving Italian and former chief R&D officer at Suntory Food and Beverage GB&I (previously Lucozade Ribena Suntory) Roberto Vanin, Bolle is a new low/no sparking brewed drink produced with ‘game changing’ technology that...

Firmenich and DSM merger creates ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing

31-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Firmenich and DSM have revealed plans to merge the two companies in a move that they believe will create an ‘unparalleled’ leader in nutrition, beauty and wellbeing.

UK study sheds light on taste loss and long COVID

30-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Researchers in the UK claim to have discovered the secret of why certain food and drinks smell and taste disgusting to people with parosmia.

Vitafoods interview: ADM expands its portfolio

30-May-2022 By Liza Laws

At Vitafoods Europe, ADM were showcasing their latest concepts with experts on-site to answer questions about how they will be keeping the health-conscious consumer in mind.

Sweegen wins stevia Reb M patent battle… but Ingredion set to appeal

25-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Ingredient supplier Sweegen hailed its victory against PureCircle in a stevia Rebaudioside M (Reb M) patent battle as opening the door to ‘major expansion’ opportunities. However, FoodNavigator understands PureCircle owner Ingredion is already preparing...

‘Creating scenarios of what should be possible tomorrow’: Givaudan develops ‘advanced’ futurescaping platform

18-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Flavours giant Givaudan is developing Customer Foresight, a platform that leverages ‘advanced data technologies’ alongside artificial intelligence and human insight to predict the future of food.

Disrupting flavour by defining taste: How iSense is bringing transparency to the functionality of flavours

18-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Flavours are not currently defined by their most important functionality: taste. We speak to flavour tech innovator iSense about how it is using sensory data and digitalisation to develop a marketplace approach that delivers transparency to boost agility...

Givaudan develops natural nitrite alternative for processed meat

17-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Givaudan has developed a patent-pending ‘synergistic combination’ of plant-based ingredients and natural flavourings that it says can be used as a nitrite replacement in meat.

'Private label is on the war path, so everything matters': Double down on sensory appeal to reward consumers, brands told

17-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Multi-sensorial food and beverage experiences can attract mainstream appeal despite the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, according to MMR Research.

How to bring smallholders on the journey to zero-deforestation food systems

12-May-2022 By Katy Askew

To combat deforestation, interventions must support both development and inclusion. Smallholders need to be brought on the journey towards zero deforestation. A new research collaboration aims to assess what programmes see most success on these dual deliverables.

Cacao-free ‘alt choc’ mimics the real thing, with 80% fewer CO2 emissions

11-May-2022 By Flora Southey

UK start-up WNWN Food Labs is launching what it claims to be the ‘world’s first’ cacao-free chocolate. Made from two ‘hero ingredients’ – barley and carob – we ask co-founders Arhum Pak and Dr Johnny Drain what makes their product better than the real...

Kerry discusses African expansion: ‘Sustainability is locally focused around food and nutrition security’

10-May-2022 By Katy Askew

Taste and nutrition company Kerry officially opened what it bills as ‘the largest and most advanced’ taste manufacturing facility on the African continent this week. FoodNavigator hears from Paul Hewitt, Vice President of Sub Saharan Africa, to learn...

Austrian start-up plans dairy disruption via precision fermentation-derived cheeses

05-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Vienna’s Fermify claims its digitised production platform delivers casein proteins with the same superior functional properties and nutritional profile of real cheese and allows producers to produce cow-free cheese at scale.

Regulation

MEPs write to the European Commission to beef up Cocoa Talks with an Economic Pact across the value chain

05-May-2022 By Anthony Myers

Eradicating child labour and deforestation require integrated efforts across policy sectors, they argue.

Robertet targets UK growth with acquisition

02-May-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The France-based flavour and fragrance company has announced the acquisition of Omega Ingredients, which makes provenance driven, natural flavours and ingredients for the food and beverage industry.

Kellogg’s reveals secret to its renovated Special K formulation: salt redistribution

02-May-2022 By Flora Southey

In Europe, Kellogg’s has reworked its Special K cereal range to reduce the salt content by an average of 19.8%.

The tech behind ‘single-ingredient’ smoked salmon analogue revealed: ‘Our spirulina can act as a complete replacement for animal-based protein’

28-Apr-2022 By Katy Askew

An Israeli food tech company has developed a proprietary process leveraging spirulina to mimic ‘virtually any type of fish and animal tissue’. It’s first product: a ‘single-ingredient’ smoked salmon analogue. FoodNavigator catches up with co-founder and...

GNT launches first organic colours made with safflower

28-Apr-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Colours supplier GNT has expanded its EXBERRY organic range with new yellow and green shades made from organic safflower.

Vaess develops biotech solution for nitrite-free bacon

22-Apr-2022 By Katy Askew

Dutch food engineers at Vaess have developed an innovative biotech solution that can replace the controversial use of nitrites in meat products like bacon, while maintaining a stable pink appearance.

JUST Egg mung bean protein wins EU approval, launch expected ‘before the end of the year’

05-Apr-2022 By Flora Southey

The key ingredient in Eat Just’s plant-based egg alternative, mung bean protein, has received approval from the European Commission. The decision ‘opens the door’ to distribution across the bloc, according to Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick.

Griffith Foods talks nutrition and plant-based innovation: ‘Think different, think centre plate transformation’

29-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

Griffith Foods is focusing its product development might on the core pillars of nutrition and plant-based product development, with efforts informed by the ‘guiding star’ of sustainability. European President Wim van Roekel weighs in on the massive potential...

ADM’s ‘game-changer’ white colorant that ‘ticks the boxes on brilliance, stability and uniformity’

23-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

ADM has developed PearlEdge, a proprietary white colour solution that it says fills a ‘vital white space’ in the market. “We saw the need for plant-based white colorants that tick the boxes on brilliance, stability and uniformity,” Hélène Moeller, Vice...

Scraping social media for hot beverage trends

23-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Love them or loath them, social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offer fertile ground where brands can spot quickly emerging food and beverage trends that can guide product development.

Start-up ‘beats the blues’ with spirulina-based food colouring for hot and cold beverages

23-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Israeli start-up Gavan has overcome the ‘blue challenge’ in hot and cold drinks with a heat-stable, natural, and vibrant colorant.

Reading the tea leaves: How is Clipper Teas delivering market-beating growth?

23-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

What trends are hot in tea? FoodNavigator caught up with the Ecotone-owned Clipper Teas - a brand that has successfully been outgrowing the market - to learn what’s brewing in the category.

New tech in sugar reduction

23-Mar-2022 By Rachel Arthur

We take a look at some of the latest developments in sugar reduction technology.

Inside Hive: A deep-dive into Unilever's plant-based innovation drive

21-Mar-2022 By Katy Askew

“We want to outgrow the competition and we want to do it in ways that are better for people and the planet,” Unilever’s head of Food & Refreshment Hanneke Faber says. How does the company plan to do this? FoodNavigator goes inside Hive, Unilever’s...

Gousto launches smell training kits as Long COVID sufferers ‘fall out of love with food’ after losing smell and taste

14-Mar-2022 By Oliver Morrison

The recipe kit provider has introduced free limited-edition ‘Flavour Saviour’ kits in partnership with the charity AbScent to help consumers ‘retrain their senses and rediscover the joy of mealtimes’.

‘We will yield the full yellow-to-purple spectrum’: Precision fermentation food colours prepare to challenge synthetics

02-Mar-2022 By Flora Southey

Natural colour maker Phytolon is collaborating with Ginkgo Bioworks to take its biological production to the ‘next level’. FoodNavigator asks Phytolon co-founder and CEO Halim Jubran how its novel production technology works.

Givaudan mimics animal fat cells with encapsulated coconut oil to ‘reduce high fat content while improving juiciness’ in plant-based

22-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

The Swiss flavours and fragrances company has coined the technology ‘PrimeLock+’, as it says it brings the visual appeal of beef fat to plant-based products, while allowing for controlled fat and flavour release during the cooking process.

The FoodNavigator Podcast: How big is the healthy ageing opportunity?

17-Feb-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Is the industry ignoring the growing numbers of older people? Or do older people just not want to be directly targeted by the food sector? FoodNavigator investigates.

Tackling malnutrition in ageing populations: What’s working and what’s not?

16-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

From ready meals to health messaging and affordability, what progress has been observed and how much still needs to be made to address malnutrition in older people? EUPHA and Age UK weigh in.

Behind Nestlé’s CHF1.3bn drive to bridge the living income gap in cocoa

11-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

Nestlé has launched an initiative that promises to help bridge the living income gap for cocoa farmers in its supply chain. With a focus on productivity, resilience, diversification and access to education the company is more than tripling its current...

Ultra-processing foods for health and sustainability: ‘Whether you like it or not, processed food is here to stay’

08-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Processed and ultra-processed foods get a bad rap. But done the right way, food processing can offer sustainable nutrition to the masses, according to Wageningen University’s Ciarán Forde.

Omega-3 fortified sausages? The case for enriching foods with fish by-products

07-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

Enriching food products with marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids from sustainable sources presents an opportunity to boost EPA and DHA intake in consumers, argues SINTEF researcher Heidi Johnsen.

Safety concerns build over botanicals’ use in food: ‘There is no harmonised approach for their labelling and assessment’

03-Feb-2022 By Flora Southey

A campaign designed to address uncertainties in the assessment of botanicals’ health properties has been launched by SAFE.

Does cultivated chicken pass SuperMeat's blind taste test?

01-Feb-2022 By Katy Askew

Cultivated meat has been put to a blind taste test and the results are in. Here’s what gastronomic experts thought when they sampled SuperMeat’s cultivated chicken alongside conventional meat.

‘Ocean-cultivated seaweed is a regenerative force’: BettaF!sh and Nordic Oceanfruit founder talks turning the tide on ocean destruction

31-Jan-2022 By Flora Southey

German food brands BettaF!sh and Nordic Oceanfruit are bringing ocean-cultivated seaweed to the masses. We hear co-founder Jacob von Manteuffel talk macroalgae diversity, product formulation, and the ‘sustainable’ force of cultivation.

‘Beyond the usual suspects’: Report scrapes social media to identify emerging trends

31-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Used by Nestlé, PepsiCo, Givaudan, Campbell’s, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Dole, and more, Tastewise, the AI-powered real-time food intelligence solution, is sharing the top consumer food and beverage trends for 2022.

Health campaigner takes aim at salty sliced meats

27-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Two thirds of all chilled sliced meats including sliced ham, chicken, corned beef and salami sold by leading grocery retailers in the UK are dangerously high in salt (i.e. >1.5g/100g) – with one in three (35%) failing to meet the national salt reduction...

EU titanium dioxide ban enters into force: what happens next?

27-Jan-2022 By Lynda Searby

The EU ban on titanium dioxide has created harmonisation across the bloc for food and supplements, but the colour is still legal in the UK as well as in medicine products, plus there is the challenge of reformulation.

Kerry Europe boss upbeat on regional outlook: ‘There is a great opportunity for Kerry in Europe’

26-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

Developed European markets aren't always known for their exciting growth profiles. But Kerry Group European head Thomas Hahlin Ahlinder sees some important opportunities for the ingredient supplier in the region. FoodNavigator hears more.

Codex adopts framework for steviol glycosides: ‘This benefits the entire stevia industry’

20-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

International food standards body Codex Alimentarius has adopted a Framework for steviol glycosides that encompasses four different production technologies in a move that is expected to ‘benefit the entire stevia industry’.

Synergy Flavours debuts ‘sophisticated toolkit’ promoting botanicals and provenance for the growing low-to-no sector

14-Jan-2022 By Oliver Morrison

Synergy Flavours has unveiled new extracts and flavour solutions for the “booming” low and no alcohol category. The range includes bitters, fermented notes, gin, pink gin, aperitif and rum flavours, alongside extracts that deliver warmth, such as scotch...

DSM integrates food and beverage business for ‘one-stop-shop’

13-Jan-2022 By Katy Askew

Royal DSM is launching a new integrated food and beverage operating structure that it says well deliver a ‘one-stop-shop’ of solutions for food and drink brands.