Newses & Articles

Will “Fixing the Flavors” of Food Heighten Their Appeal to Shoppers? Some Say Yes.
Publish Date : 1395/5/23 Time 16:44:08


Will “Fixing the Flavors” of Food Heighten Their Appeal to Shoppers? Some Say Yes.

Nearly 100,000 taste buds elicit sensations of sweetness, bitterness, sourness and saltiness. One of the biggest challenges facing flavorists and food scientists is how to create the perfect mixture of compounds that hit all the right marks. Flavors have to please consumers, while also being profitable for food manufacturers and companies.

Select compounds generate a flavor profile to stimulate taste. Sensitivity towards how chemicals react to one another and whether these mixtures lend themselves well is vital to their success. Recently, scientists at the University of Floridastudied new ways to make foods, specifically tomatoes, taste better naturally, without adding sugar and artificial sweeteners.

In one experiment, University of Florida horticulturalist Harry Klee and Linda Bartoshuk of the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste ground up dozens of tomato varieties to glean what makes heirloom tomatoes retain their flavor. Approximately 17 volunteers rated the most appetizing fruits and characterized them based on flavor profiles and texture.

The researchers identified which of the tomatoes’ more than 400 volatiles (also known as chemical compounds) actually drove flavor, using the information as a guide when breeding their heirlooms with commercial tomatoes. Their ultimate goal is to obtain a flavorful product with disease resistance and higher yield of a supermarket type.

During the experiment, scientists strayed away from genetic modification when looking for clues to flavor, and reverted to using more traditional techniques due to the negative attention genetically modified foods have been receiving from the media and the public.

As a result, Klee and Bartoshuk’s team produced a hybrid of heirlooms and commercial varieties that are appropriate for smaller farms to supply niche markets. However, it will take time to make it suitable for large growers.

While demographics and culture may impact an individual’s preference, identifying volatile chemicals will increase a consumer’s enjoyment of tomatoes, as well as serve as a novel way to intensify the perception of sweetness without sugar, and ultimately reinvigorate a bland tomato’s flavor.

What do you think of the study’s findings? Do you think it will be valuable for making bland food products more favorable? What effect, if any, do you see this having on manufacturers and companies producing food and beverage products? Your comments are most welcome below.

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) was founded in 1909 and is the national association of the U.S. flavor industry.  FEMA’s membership is comprised of flavor manufacturers, flavor users, flavor ingredient suppliers, and others with an interest in the U.S. flavor industry.  The association is committed to ensuring a safe supply of flavor ingredients used in foods and beverages enjoyed by billions of men, women, and children around the world.