IFT First 2025 live: HTBA unlocks flavonoid power to tackle sweetness and mouthfeel challenges in F&B

HealthTech Bio Actives (HTBA) is showcasing its flavonoid-powered OptiTaste taste modulation solutions at IFT First 2025 in Chicago, US (July 14-16). The natural, upcycled ingredients aim to reduce added sugar, optimize mouthfeel, and mask unwanted flavors in F&B formulations.

The Barcelona-based company manufactures and commercializes citrus flavonoids and active forms of vitamin B12 for the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, F&B, and animal nutrition sectors.

Food Ingredients First catches up with Tom D’hoore, HTBA’s chief commercial officer, live from the showfloor to explore how the company is addressing consumer trends for healthier foods without compromising taste.

“Today’s consumers are looking for healthier foods — whether through active health (fortifying foods with vitamins, minerals, or botanicals) or passive health (reducing sugar, fat, and salt). These healthier choices come with taste challenges,” says D’hoore.

“Consumers want health without sacrificing taste, and that’s where OptiTaste comes in. It’s a branded platform offering masking, sweetness modulation, and mouthfeel enhancement solutions to address these issues.”

The “revitalized” innovation platform features OptiTaste Sweetness solutions to optimize overall sweetness profiles while reducing the need for added sugar. The OptiTaste Balance solutions enhance mouthfeel and fine-tune bitterness, harshness, flavor top-notes, and overall savory, spicy flavor profiles, notes HTBA.

Balancing taste modulation and bioactive delivery

At the trade show, HTBA is offering visitors the opportunity to sample new prototypes, including its OptiTaste Balance salted caramel smart energy popcorn with the functional benefits of caffeine and MecobalActive vitamin B12.

HTBA showcased samples of OptiTaste Balance salted caramel popcorn with caffeine and MecobalActive B12 at the event.“We are presenting two families of products: the active forms of B12 and flavonoids. With B12, we focus on health benefits, while with flavonoids, we address both active health — through ingredients backed by proprietary science — and taste modulation, using ingredients we’ve developed specifically for this purpose,” notes D’hoore.

In addition to popcorn, the company is also hosting tasting sessions of “lime and gin” tonic and “old-fashioned” mocktails, featuring OptiTaste natural flavors and naringin solutions. 

Upcycling focus

The OptiTaste platform is based on HTBA’s expertise in flavonoid-based taste modulation technologies and spotlights taste modulation solutions of natural origin. It includes a selection of Upcycled Certified ingredients, which D’hoore says recognizes the company’s 45-year-old longstanding practices.

“All ingredients in OptiTaste are upcycled from fruit cultivars, and we’ve developed various supply chains to maximize these side streams, extracting individual molecules to create our solutions.”

The company also helps manufacturers achieve sweetness, balance, and masking solutions to improve their products. It produces pure flavor ingredients from baby oranges, which D’hoore highlights are developed for specific applications.

“OptiTaste provides optimized blends as specific solutions to our customers. We also explore synergies among our solutions and the customer’s product to fine-tune the final product.”

Scaling production capabilities

HTBA’s new taste modulation platform advances its ongoing focus on flavonoid-powered innovations. It follows the completion of a recent production plant in Murcia, Spain, and a broader €25 million (US$29.2 million) R&D and manufacturing modernization project.

“Our investments are designed to cover our needs through 2030. We’ve already commissioned the next capacity expansion, which will support demand through 2030 and beyond. We’re preparing for long-term growth,” D’hoore concludes.