Flavor is challenging. Presenters at Prepared Foods’ R&D Seminars help out with some flavor formulation advice.
Flavors are integral to product success but can be challenging in product development. Public opinion on flavors is sometimes positive, sometimes not; but opinions and attitudes can be changed, depending on the latest trends. Dolf DeRovira, president of Flavor Dynamics, discussed how to evaluate flavors and use them in the best light in his Prepared Foods’ R&D Seminar presentation titled “The Use of Flavors in Food Products.”
DeRovira began by stating, “Flavor is actually a combination of odor, taste, trigeminal nerves (cooling and heating, not really a flavor) and tactile stimulation. Flavor is this whole concept, and it is bolstered by the rest of the senses (visual, for example). For clear vs. cloudy orange juice, even if the flavor is exactly the same, the cloudy version is preferred. Flavors can be perceived differently when the color is different. Aroma is also a part of flavor. It takes hundreds of genes to design the sense of smell, making aroma and flavoring very complex.”