Givaudan, the world’s leading flavor and fragrance company, has published initial insights and the first commercial innovation inspired by the fifth savory edition of its global Chef’s Council event, which was titled, “The Protein Challenge.”

Held in central London in October, and bringing together top chefs and Givaudan experts from around the world, the event explored new culinary concepts for meat and plant proteins as inspiration to develop the future of food. 

“Givaudan has been running the Chef’s Council for more than 15 years and over that time we’ve seen great success and many new product launches from the program,” said Louie D’Amico, Flavor Division president. “This year, with a focus on protein, the teams brought it to a new level with delicious creations and new innovations that can vastly improve both the taste and healthfulness of our customers’ plant-based products.”

“One of the key insights coming out of the event was the critical interaction and relationship between flavor, taste and texture that is a key differentiator when considering side dishes and center of plate,” added Flavio Garofalo, Givaudan’s global category director-Savory Flavors and Natural Ingredients. “Deconstructing different flavors and textures—and reassembling them to achieve those that consumers expect and prefer—is a key aspect in the evolution of plant-based meat substitutes as the main focus of a meal.”

Participating chefs included Chantelle Nicholson, Tredwells, London, UK; Cristina Bowerman, Glass Hostaria, Rome, Italy ; Helena Rizzo, Mani Restaurant, Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, USA.

Garofalo continues, “The pre-event workshops held in each region allowed our teams to collaborate with our guest chefs, drawing inspiration from their creative approaches to the challenges we posed. Our internal chefs were able to apply the use of many new Givaudan innovations to their translations of the guest chefs’ preparations. This included our new breakthrough fat encapsulation technology which can help reduce up to 75% of the fat content and 30% of the calories in meat substitutes compared to current market products, an exciting advancement.”

In addition to improving a product’s nutritional value, this innovation in fat encapsulation provides the benefit of increased authenticity and impact through flavor stabilization. Flavio went on to explain that Givaudan teams had “also created a novel collection of new flavours allowing for remarkable concept development”. 

The 2019 Givaudan’s Chef’s Council event led to a number of insights, ideas and innovation concepts touching on upon techniques, ingredients, flavours, taste and mouthfeel, all of which will ultimately be used to inspire entirely new concepts for protein products. Givaudan’s commitment to protein many years ago led to unrivalled expertise, and all of the tools that are necessary to make the many attributes in a product such as - flavour, aroma, texture and visuals - perform at their peak. 

Flavio remarked “we’re excited to bring these new insights and concepts to our customers in the coming weeks and months”. 

A summary of these insights, some of the inspirational dishes created for the event and more information on the application of Givaudan’s new fattiness technology are available in the event paper which can be downloaded from: 

www.givaudan.com/flavours/meeting-your-needs/givaudans-chefs-council/london-2019  

Discover more about alternative proteins.

About Givaudan

Givaudan is the global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances. In close collaboration with food, beverage, consumer product and fragrance partners, Givaudan develops tastes and scents that delight consumers the world over. With a passion to understand consumers’ preferences and a relentless drive to innovate, Givaudan is at the forefront of creating flavours and fragrances that ‘engage your senses’. The Company achieved sales of CHF 5.5 billion in 2018. Headquartered in Switzerland with local presence in over 145 locations, the Company has almost 13,600 employees worldwide. Givaudan invites you to discover more at www.givaudan.com. 

About Givaudan Flavors 

Givaudan’s comprehensive knowledge of local flavours, extensive global footprint and strategic insights enable close partnerships with customers wherever they may be. With a customised approach to product creation, the Flavour Division is a powerhouse of knowledge, innovation and creativity equipped to surprise customers and consumers with fresh, unique ideas and solutions. Givaudan creates lasting flavour and taste experiences that touch emotions across key segments including beverages, sweet goods, savoury and snacks; regardless of product category Givaudan’s passion is to make food and beverage products taste delicious. 

We invite you to ‘engage your senses’ and learn more about Flavours at www.givaudan.com/flavours.