Food Processing - November 2007 - (Page 32)

AROMAS Trust your senses The list of known natural odorant chemical bases is extensive, ranging from alcohols, aldehydes, amines, esters, ethers and essential oils – anything that can evaporate and reach concentrations high enough for detection. Once identiﬁed, the chemicals responsible for aroma can be captured and utilized to enhance the food experience. The intricate association between aroma and ﬂavor demands rigorous sensory analysis to determine what products will be acceptable to the consumer. “Sensory analysis is a critical step in innovation to give consumers the products they want, where, when and how they want them,” says Jeffrey Kondo, vice president of product innovation for Dairy Management Inc./DMI (www.dairyinfo.com), Rosemont, Ill. DMI supports a pilot sensory lab at North Carolina State University’s Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center, Raleigh, N.C. It is part of DMI’s National Dairy Foods Research Center Program, a uniﬁ ed coordinated research effort designed to support and accelerate dairy innovation. “Very important to industry are the sensory lexicons developed by MaryAnne Drake and her team,” says Kondo. Drake is associate professor of sensory and ﬂ avor chemistry in the university’s Department of Food Science. “These lexicons not only provide a standardized way of describing ﬂ avors but also link these ﬂ avors to chemical compounds. When you describe something as having a ‘dairy ﬂ avor,’ she’s able to link that to at least some of the compounds that are actually causing that ﬂ avor. The descriptions and classiﬁcations can help a dairy processor keep going down the right road on a new product,” explains Kondo. Drake’s approach to sensory analysis begins with her knowledge of the physiological ability to detect and distinguish aromas and ﬂ avors. “There are many modern instruments designed for sensory analysis, but nothing matches the human instrument for its complexity, intensity and sophistication of detection,” says Drake. “Sensory testing is critical,” says Drake. “Knowledge of consumer desires and perceptions and the sensory properties of existing competitor products can inﬂuence the breadth, depth and success of a product line. The dairy industry is Flavor and aroma are inextricably tied together, making the ability to detect and distinguish speciﬁc aroma and ﬂavor components crucial to sensory analysis. in a desirable position in that its ﬂ avor and odor proﬁ les are already pleasing to most consumers.” Testing is a challenge “Aroma testing is always a challenge,” says Kathleen Rutledge, founder of 21st Sensory Inc. (www.21stsensory.com), Bartlesville, Okla. “Ventilation issues are paramount to ensure the aroma from one product is not present when the next is evaluated. The evaluation objectives are important. For example, soy analogs can have a ‘beany’ aroma that doesn’t elicit as much anticipatory interest as grilled beef. The formulator can add smoke and some hydrolyzed vegetable protein or yeast ingredients to mimic meat-like aromas. “Such compounds also can serve to mask any uncharacteristic aromas,” continues Rutledge. “Often, the product developer submitting products for testing does not reveal what has been done to the product to increase or mask aroma. There is sometimes a misguided idea that telling the testing group what the objectives are will bias the study. The opposite is true. With so many sensory signals being evaluated, the sensory group can beneﬁt from being told the objectives and the work can be focused and the extraneous eliminated.” “The key for companies considering sensory testing is, what speciﬁc questions are you trying to answer? Do you want to understand the impact of substituting a new ingreWWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM NOTE TO MARKETING Authenticity of taste and aroma is often linked to particular cultural experiences. Increasingly, consumers are seeking different cultural experiences through food. “Today, it’s more important than ever for food and beverage processors to be able to step up the consumer’s sensory experience,” says Stephen Manheimer, marketing director for Mastertaste, Teterboro, N.J. “Exaggerated and exotic ﬂavors and aromas are very popular. Consumers are seeking heightened states of sensory stimulation, (and the) demand for spicier, more ﬂavorful or more exotic tastes is apparent in today’s market. “When ﬂavorists create ﬂavors for processors, they are striving for not only a creative end-product but an authentic one as well,” he continues. “This is important because when a consumer bites into a strawberry Danish or takes a sip of peach iced tea, they expect authenticity.” 32 • FOOD PROCESSING NOVEMBER 2007 PHOTO: DMI INC. http://www.dairyinfo.com http://www.21stsensory.com http://WWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM

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Food Processing - November 2007 Contents Editor's Page NewsBites Regulatory Rollout Food Biz Kids Our Favorite Products of 2007 Ingredients Product Development Plant Operations Packaging New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - November 2007

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