Digital sensory innovation: Givaudan’s Aroma Kiosk leverages AI to identify flavor preferences

25 Mar 2021 --- Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing has launched its Aroma Kiosk, a digital sensory tool designed to gather valuable consumer insights on flavors and products in real-time. Touted as a “breakthrough innovation,” the Aroma Kiosk is the latest addition to Givaudan’s ecosystem of digital and AI tools that allow Givaudan’s global teams to streamline the end-to-end product creation process from conception to rollout.

When using the Aroma Kiosk consumers can smell and rate different aroma profiles. The data is then translated into personalized flavor preferences using an AI-based algorithm. 

The kiosks can be used in environments where consumers can engage interactively, such as grocery and department stores, universities and shopping malls. 

Compact and mobile, the Aroma Kiosk combines a simple, user-friendly touch screen linked to Givaudan’s state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithm ATOM 2.0 (Advanced Tools for Modeling) and proprietary virtual aroma synthesiser (VAS) technology. 

“All food applications, and the companies that make them, can benefit equally from this innovation. The Aroma Kiosk can be customized for any type of product and can be used in a nearly limitless range of environments. The tool can be used in new product development, to gather consumer insight, and to optimize flavors for existing products or to market new products,” Fabio Campanile, Givaudan’s head of global science and technology for Taste & Wellbeing, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The Aroma Kiosk is designed to connect with consumers in dynamic environments such as grocery and department stores, universities and shopping malls.“The Aroma Kiosk is a game-changer that allows us to crowdsource information on consumer preferences quickly, across many different demographics,” he says.

“There really is nothing else like it on the market,” Campanile continues. “The combination of digital tools and AI can also significantly shorten the product development cycle for our customers, increasing the chances of successful launch.”

AI reinforces flavors
The latest announcement comes at the heels of Givaudan’s recently launched program that leverages AI to optimize food and flavor formulation. 

According to Givaudan, pioneering tools such as AI and ATOM can open doors for creative development and can also cut the time to market for new products dramatically.

In a previous interview with FoodIngredientsFirst, Rahul Siva, research investigator for taste and well-being at Givaudan, said he expects to see more AI tech being used across F&B sectors in the months ahead.

Personalized recommendations
The combination of these digital tools and AI can significantly shorten the product development cycle, increase the chances of a successful launch, and at the same time provide consumers with personalized recommendations and market products.

The units are at the “forefront of digital sensory innovation,” according to Campanile. 

Their portability allows them to be situated in public environments making them particularly powerful, he says. 

“The kiosks can be customized for any type of product and can be used in a nearly limitless range of environments, representing a major step toward accessing consumers everywhere, every day, all while data is collected and flows in real-time.”

“The insights and data can then be used to develop and refine product lines, ensuring they truly delight the consumer, a great example of how we co-create food experiences with our customers,” Campanile adds.

Supporting market needs
Globally and across categories, consumer needs are changing at a record pace. 

With this in mind, Givaudan’s Aroma Kiosk can support customers with accurate, actionable consumer insights and product development. 

They can also create customized surveys, collect consumer data, offer personalized preferences in real-time, and make recommendations on market products. 

The results can be segmented on consumer demographics, meaning Givaudan can create highly customized, crowdsourced products of the future.

The new units have been extensively tested with consumers in several locations ahead of launch, the flavor giant reveals.

“For example, the kiosk can be used with consumers in a supermarket: they smell a variety of options and the unit recommends the best choice based on their preferences. Instead of navigating through to shop or selecting the food they always choose to eat they try something new that is fitting for what they prefer,” explains Campanile.

Working with alcoholConsumers can smell different aroma profiles, then the data is translated into personalized flavor preferences.
Givaudan recently worked with an alcoholic beverage company in South Africa to identify the most preferred flavors for different alcoholic applications. 

Over three days, the team collected data with The Aroma Kiosk from over 150 consumers in a shopping mall in Johannesburg to deliver products.

On another occasion, Givaudan used the Aroma Kiosk in Mexico to understand the evolving consumer perception of a fresh strawberry flavor. 

The Kiosk results were surprising; they clearly showed how people of different generations perceive flavors and aromas and how different these perceptions are from one generation to the next. 

For example, fresh strawberry attributes, as perceived by older generations, were considered to be artificial-like by younger generations. The AI inside the Aroma Kiosk and ATOM captured the evolving perception of a fresh strawberry in consumers’ minds, says Givaudan. 

Flavors spotlighted
Earlier this month, Givaudan announced the reorganizing of its Taste & Wellbeing product portfolio, centering on three food experiences that “inspire, feel good and do good” for consumers. 

“As industry faces profound disruption, driven by rapidly changing consumer and customer needs and growing environmental concerns, our business has evolved to meet this challenge head on,” Louie D’Amico, president of taste and well-being, said.

Meanwhile, “layered wellness” a concept that comprises functional ingredients, is tipped to star in 2021 product development, as previously highlighted by Givaudan.

By Elizabeth Green