Quest launch salt reducing breakthrough

Marketed as ImpaQ Taste Technology, this range of flavours will enable food producers to dramatically reduce levels of salt, fat, and sugar in foods and beverages – for salt, by as much as 50%.

Quest claims to have launched its biggest flavour breakthrough in a decade: a range of flavours that solves the food and beverage industry's taste issues linked with salt, fat and sugar – and holds potential for superior taste performance across sweet and savoury products.

Marketed as ImpaQ Taste Technology (systems or flavours), this range of flavours will enable food producers for the first time to dramatically reduce levels of salt, fat, and sugar in foods and beverages – for salt, by as much as 50% – without compromising on the taste.

"With ImpaQ Taste Technology we can achieve taste results never before encountered and the response from customer trials is exceedingly positive. There is great potential for ImpaQ flavours to help healthy foods taste better and to improve diet through food reformulation", Quest's Flavours Group Vice President, Cees de Jong, explains.
ImpaQ is the result of a long-term R&D programme by Quest to identify how their flavours can solve taste issues. By leveraging its creation and application expertise, Quest has developed flavours specifically designed to perform in 'low environments', such as low salt, low sugar and low fat.

"Our new ImpaQ Taste Technology allows us to develop complete, great tasting flavours, for all end uses, which are also designed to perform extremely well in low salt, low sugar and low fat environments. It is not just about replacing salt, sugar or fat but about understanding how to create deliciousness in foods”, says Quest's Executive Flavourist, Harry Renes.

"A decade of research lies behind this breakthrough. Our most significant step forward came with our fundamental research into meat bouillons and mature cheeses, aimed at identifying the key flavour components that make these important foodstuffs taste delicious. Since 1999, we have had over 25 molecules approved for FEMA GRAS status and have submitted over 35 flavour-related patents connected with this work. More importantly, this research gave us new insights into how we can use flavours to influence our perceptions of taste: that is the basis of the ImpaQ Taste Technology approach”, he said.

Salt reduction is the first, primary focus for Quest in applying ImpaQ flavours. Development work at Quest sites worldwide and with leading food manufacturers has yielded excellent results: salt reduction in soups and snacks of between 30-50% can be achieved, while maintaining the same eating quality.

Harry Renes explains: "In low salt environments, we have had excellent results from consumer tests which have shown no difference in preference between a reduced product using ImpaQ technology and its normal level equivalent."

Application trials in low environments and in broader applications – such as increasing deliciousness and bitter masking – are underway with customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, with further expansion expected soon. Each flavour solution is tailored to the specific application to maximize taste performance, with a view to enhancing the brand taste characteristics and building further consumer loyalty by appealing to the intricacies of consumer preference.

In Europe, markets where the Quest team predict the highest and fastest uptake include: soups, sauces, soft drinks and desserts.

www.questintl.com