Bitter Block: Duas Rodas unveils natural aroma to round out flavors and eliminate off-notes

11 Mar 2020 --- Countering off-notes is a prominent challenge faced by formulators working with bitter compounds, protein-enriched recipes and other special ingredients. Responding to this, Brazillian flavor house Duas Rodas has launched Bitter Block, a natural aroma that rounds out flavors and synergistically eliminates bitter notes in drinks, such as caffeine supplements, those with high protein content and ready-to-drink teas.

“Bitter Block was developed to help the industry handle the growing demand for healthy products that provide agreeable and balanced flavors to drinks that have off notes due to their high protein content, amino acids or caffeine,” says Paulo Mokarzel, Marketing Director of Duas Rodas.

Specializing in the extraction of essential oils from tropical plants in Brazil, with nine decades of operation in the global food and beverage market, Duas Rodas developed Bitter Block using natural aromatizing ingredients and substances.

Consumers are increasingly seeking natural ingredients in beverages.“Using this solution, the final product provides a more attractive sensory experience to the palate, preserving essential characteristics and modulating intense bitterness, which is something consumers don't want,” adds Mokarzel.

Formulating “The Right Bite”
A shift in consumer lifestyle habits has stimulated global consumer interest in food and beverages that will help in their search for healthier natural ingredients and physical and mental well-being into their daily routine. Notably, “The Right Bite” trend coined by Innova Market Insights as a top trend for 2020 underscores a burgeoning consumer appetite for nutritious foods that are both convenient and indulgent.

“There is a growing search for products that are nutritious, functional and tasty; this movement means technical and sensory challenges for industries in developing plant-based food and beverages that have off-notes that are undesirable from the consumer’s point of view,” states the flavor house.

As an exemplar to this sentiment, a recent survey by Kerry revealed that consumers view plant-based ice cream as “less creamy,” “gritty,” “grainy,” even compared to “sawdust,” while taste was described as “flavorless,” “weird,” “off” and “takes a while to get used to.” Solving these associated sensorial challenges is now crucial to formulating a standout product amid a rapidly diversifying market space.

Duas Rodas has a portfolio of 3,000 items, including aromas, natural extracts, powdered products, condiments, additives, ice cream products, chocolates and sweets. The company currently oversees three production facilities in Brazil, four factories in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, seven research and development centers, and an Innovation Center.

Green flavors are building a strong positioning in healthy beverage NPD. In addition, the portfolio comprises products with international Kosher, Halal, Organic Product and Fair for Life certifications, as well as Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) and Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA).

Bitter bites back
Juxtaposing the drive to eliminate bitter off-notes from product formulations, Innova Market Insights research has highlighted that bitter could be trending as the “war on sugar” rages on. As consumers are reducing their sugar intake, green vegetables are gaining momentum in NPD. Bitter and earthy flavors may have a role to play in elevating consumers’ perceptions of a product’s health and wellness benefits.

“Green juice is the poster child of a shift in taste of consumers. If you’re going to drink something green, you’re probably going to have to accept a bitter taste. If consumers continue to shift their taste and accept more bitter flavors, that will be a great opportunity to reduce the amount of sugar in products,” concludes Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights.

By Benjamin Ferrer