Doehler and Ixora Scientific target taste modulation and flavor creation in US-based global partnership

25 Apr 2023 --- Doehler has inked a new deal with Ixora Scientific to commercialize natural taste modulators derived from botanicals and plants. The two partners will explore new frontiers and bring novel solutions to the market in this significant collaboration geared toward natural ingredient systems and integrated solutions for F&B.

As part of its commitment to bolster innovation, health and wellness, and sustainability, Doehler has established a long-term partnership with Ixora, which will be its research partner for next-generation taste modulators. 

Doehler brings its over 185 years of experience in the ingredients industry and its thought leadership in the German and European flavors market to the US. 

Within 18 months, the Ixora team developed a robust taste modulator pipeline.

Its product portfolio consists of a sweet taste modulator that strengthens sweet taste intensity, delivering sugar mouthfeel and early onset; outstanding maskers for astringent, bitter, sour, and plant protein off-tastes; and boosters for creaminess, alcohol spiciness, carbonation perception, and vanilla profile. 

Ixora Scientific is currently focusing on patent applications and regulatory approval. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Ajla Sahačić-Pinkert, global team lead for Taste Modulation at Doehler, says, “We have been in the US for already ten years and as a company as have 185 years of experience in the natural ingredients global market, with over 75 offices around the globe.”

“Having global partnerships which are US-based, such as our collaboration with Ixora, can open new possibilities to enhance and strengthen our flavor and taste modulation capabilities, also around food and beverages ingredients systems and solutions.”

As part of the arrangement, Doehler will be developing masking, mouthfeel, and the already well-established sugar reduction, targeting solutions to beverages and plant-based dairy – where there are often off-tastes.

“Our deliveries are around the botanical’s deep technology capabilities, not only the botanical ingredients in their first form – or extracts. Ninety percent of botanicals’ capabilities and potential are undiscovered. Ixora is acting as a research incubator to discover novel and unknown taste modulation molecules from plants, and study which kind of fully new combinations can bring outstanding results to much more than sugar reduction – we are talking about taste modulation in all its formats – masking, boosting, mouthfeel, etc,” explains Sahačić-Pinkert.

“We hope to even further strengthen our position in taste modulation – explore further areas of flavor and taste modulation – which will give us the competitive advantage to deliver best-in-class solutions to our customers in the US and around the world.”

“The discoveries we are making in partnership with Ixora are fully new in the market, no one has it, and considering the current challenging inflationary scenario to F&B customers, those discoveries can be the next natural taste modulation generation to support many creations,” she notes. 

Doehler and Ixora’s partnership is committed to transforming natural taste modulation. (Credit: Doehler)“The partnership with Ixora will drive innovation in the F&B industry, leveraging expertise in natural taste modulators,” adds Paul Graham, Cluster Americas CEO at Doehler. 

“Together, we’ll explore new frontiers and bring novel solutions to the market, building on Doehler’s heritage as one of the major ingredients companies in Germany.”

Xiaodong Li, co-founder and CEO of Ixora, says the partnership will allow Ixora Scientific to tap into its vast resources and expertise in flavor creation, application and commercialization, while focusing on what the company does best, which is research and discovery. 

According to Li, “It’s a win-win situation.”

Collaborative hub 
To further extend this partnership, Doehler will inaugurate a technological lab and office facility in North Brunswick, in New Jersey, acting as the Ixora east coast collaborator hub and focusing on the development and validation of thousands of product applications. 

Flavorists will be on hand to help scale up Ixora solutions and work as experts in flavor forensics. The North Brunswick hub will add to the other Doehler locations in the US, Pinebrook (Florida), Cartersville (Georgia), Chicago (Illinois), and Los Angeles (California). 

Tastes move to new heights
As consumers become more aware of their eating habits’ environmental and health implications, the consumption of plant-based foods is moving to new heights. This onward trend allows the creative juices of food manufacturers to flow in a bustling sector ripe for further growth and innovation. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has recently increased demand for vitamin-fortified juice products and products targeted at strengthening the immune system, Julian Bopp, product manager for Fruit and Vegetables at Doehler, previously told FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“Society is moving toward greater awareness of sustainability in daily life. Consumers demand that raw materials are grown, processed and packaged sustainably and that social standards are adhered to.”

By Elizabeth Green