There is a solution to the flavor problems in many high-protein bars and beverages. Virginia Dare (Brooklyn, N.Y.), a flavoring company that has been in business since 1923, carries a line of flavoring products that is specially developed for these formulation challenges. According to Evelyn Gonzalez, applications manager for functional foods for Virginia Dare, “Proteins in nutritional bars act like sponges, with many cracks and crevices that soak up and hide flavors. Our line of VidaPro® flavors is designed to coexist with the protein so you can identify the taste of the flavor throughout the shelflife of the product.”
Since flavors are “absorbed” by the proteins, what you taste when the product is first formulated is not often what you will taste two or three weeks later. “Often, companies tend to over-flavor their products to compensate. This adds unnecessary cost to the formulation, as well as a chemical taste,” says Maureen Draganchuk, vice president of business development, Virginia Dare. The company has developed the VidaPro flavor delivery system so that it now offers a full line of conventional and up and coming flavors.