SEPTEMBER 20248IN MY OPINIONThe food and beverage industry is in a transformative period for product development. After several years of surging consumer demand for innovative food and beverage products, brands face the challenge of inflation and supply chain disruptions in North America while still offering compelling products that stand out from the competition.Consumer demands are also evolving in the face of rising food prices and inflation. With discretionary spending on the decline for many Americans, consumers want to maximize value in their food and beverage purchases. While the definition of `value' can vary, to most consumers, it means heightened experiences with foods and beverages with premium ingredients and compelling flavors. In many categories, U.S. consumers cite flavor as the most important factor in selecting products, often ahead of price, ingredients, or even nutrition. As consumers are introduced to new flavors, they develop a more sophisticated palate and demand even greater flavor intensity and novel ingredients in foods and beverages.Challenged with creating products that demonstrate value through heightened experiences, brands are leveraging technological advancements in the flavor industry. New technologies have recently debuted that reproduce the `first bite' sensation of experiencing a food or beverage for the first time, packed with intricacy and flavor nuances. One such example is T. Hasegawa's HASEAROMATM, a proprietary research and enhancement technology that produces true-to-nature taste profiles in a range of sweet and savory categories. This advanced modulation technology utilizes specific minor components that can only be detected by the human nose to add depth of flavor, lasting mouthfeel, and authentic aroma.In addition to intensifying flavors, technologies like HASEAROMA make it possible for brands to stand out in a competitive market through the Toshifumi NozawaDELIVERING VALUE THROUGH HEIGHTENED FLAVOR EXPERIENCES By Toshifumi Nozawa, Senior Flavor Chemist, T. Hasegawa USA
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