Givaudan discovers new orange flavour varieties

Givaudan’s TasteTrek Citrus was conducted in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside, with which it enjoys a strategic partnership. The new collection illustrates the sheer diversity and breadth of orange flavours now available.

10/10/08 Givaudan has discovered and evaluated eight new, natural orange flavour varieties which have the potential to influence citrus-flavoured food and beverage products of the future. Following a recent TasteTrek Citrus exploration of one of the world’s largest collections of citrus fruits, Givaudan identified and analysed over 50 new citrus fruit varieties both ‘in the field’ and in its laboratories.

Givaudan’s TasteTrek Citrus was conducted in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside, with which it enjoys a strategic partnership. The new collection illustrates the sheer diversity and breadth of orange flavours now available to food and beverage manufacturers through this citrus research.

‘Gold Nugget’, ‘Seedless Kishu’ and ‘Tarocco’ are just three examples from the collection of eight new orange flavours which will be made available to Givaudan’s food and beverage customers as part of its wide range of existing and individually customisable citrus flavours.

Gold Nugget combines orange, mandarin, lime, mango and bergamot notes for a complex and energizing flavour; Seedless Kishu is refreshing and fun with hints of melon and pear enlivening the orange base notes; whilst Tarocco has flirty tropical overtones with hints of pineapple, green mango and a wonderfully different soft summer berries finish.

Givaudan’s flavourists, combining their own considerable expertise with the company’s proprietary Virtual Aroma Synthesizer (VAS) technology can rapidly analyse and translate the complex aromas from the fresh fruit into natural and naturally-derived citrus flavours, ranging from the traditional to the exotic. 

The mini-VAS is used in the field and on customers’ premises and can shorten flavour development time by weeks, if not months.   Using the mini-VAS, a variety of completely new flavour concepts is presented to customers in the form of a broad, easy-to-discern palette of archetypes or keynote flavours.   These flavour aromas can be swiftly adjusted and honed down to a particular flavour according to the customer’s personal specification - whether traditional or exotic or anything in between.

“For the beverage and food industry, this new expanded orange collection, combined with our technology, offers food and beverage manufacturers the opportunity to innovate around the world’s most popular citrus flavour and better differentiate their products in a crowded market-place,” explains Dawn Streich, global product manager, citrus.

 “Today, consumers’ palettes are more sophisticated than ever.  As their taste experiences evolve, they are seeking citrus flavoured food and drinks that are exotic and alluring but with a nod towards traditional expectations.  The orange collection fulfills this desire for something new and different yet still somehow familiar.”

“Examining the fruit inside and out, we fed our senses - through our taste buds, eyes, and nose - taking in all the grove had to offer,” adds Michelle King, Beverage Flavourist and part of the TasteTrek® Citrus team. “Back in the lab, we uncovered the chemical components which contribute to the uniqueness of each specific variety.  Finally, we were able to translate this voyage of discovery into Givaudan’s new nature-derived palette of citrus flavours which will serve as an important innovation toolbox for our customers.”

Citrus flavours lead the beverage category worldwide and orange leads the citrus category in most markets.

The objective of Givaudan’s ongoing TasteTrek programmes is to encourage its flavourists to visit different geographies, experience exotic foods and culinary delights and be inspired by nature - advancing the discovery of new ingredients and supporting innovative flavour development.

The partnership with The University of California-Riverside’s (UCR) Citrus Variety Collection offered Givaudan the perfect environment for citrus exploration. With one of the world’s largest citrus collections of over 1,000 different citrus varieties - many of which are not yet commercially available - and with added commentary from some of the world’s leading citrus experts, UCR presented Givaudan with an unprecedented opportunity to gain new insights around citrus.  Givaudan flavourists and analytical chemists experienced numerous exciting and yet-to-be-commercialised orange and mandarin varietals which captivated their imagination and spurred on their collective creativity with citrus flavours.