Top 10 Challenges of Flavor®

Suitable for all segments of the food and beverage industry, this class pairs our expert staff with our 20 years of product-development experience to bring you the strategies, tips and techniques you need to address the top challenges of working with flavor.

Class Topics

Proper Handling and Screening Flavors

Applying a flavor to your end application is the best way to evaluate a flavor. Unfortunately, this is not always practical in the beginning stages of a project when you are long on choices and short on time. Discover tips and techniques for setting up and screening flavors to meet different objectives, such as selecting a profile or setting a level with an eye toward protecting the integrity of your flavor from negative factors (light, cross contamination, etc.) through your project and beyond.

Communicating with Descriptors

Because most marketing and development teams are not trained “expert panels,” there are frequent challenges in communicating even the most basic properties of a target profile. In this session, attendees will explore how using consistent descriptive terminology can help internal and external teams communicate better. We will discuss the need for references and the value they provide in helping a team reach an agreement in language and meaning.

Developing a Brief that Delivers

Getting to the ideal flavor for your project quickly depends on the quality of the flavor submission you receive, which in turn depends on the quality of the brief you supplied to your flavor partner. This session will review the importance and value of key components of a well-written brief, such as target market, profile, processing, regulatory requirements, ingredient restrictions, and cost parameters.

Setting and Gaining Agreement on Sensory Goals

Aside from being nearly impossible to hit, a moving sensory target wastes time and your valuable development resources. This session will examine the requisite points that should be agreed upon — both internally and with your flavor vendor — before a sensory test is launched. Parameters such as project and test objectives, test type, sample and panelist size, confidence levels, and decision criteria will be discussed.

Working with Functional Ingredients

Understanding the technical “watch outs” and taste implications of groups of functional ingredients, such as proteins and vitamins, is a must for anyone charged with overcoming the challenges of functional products. This session will review the flavor challenges of functional ingredients, as well as demonstrate tips and strategies to compensate, complement, or outright cover undesirable notes.

Utilizing a Culinary Approach

The culinary approach to product development is no longer reserved for high-end desserts or savory entrees. From beverages to candy and everything in between, applying this unique approach is helping deliver superior products capable of capturing the palate of today’s sophisticated consumer. What makes it so special? We will show you.

Going “Global” with a Flavor

For simplicity, many companies strive to use one flavor globally for a given flavor profile. In this session, we will look at the impact international regulations can have on a flavor profile and how to overcome these challenges. We will present an overview of the difficulties faced in various international markets, including national, regional, and local regulations, unregulated designations, and the impact religion can have on food laws.

Matching Your Flavor to Your Brand

With all of the technical and labeling considerations that go into selecting the right flavor for your product, it can be easy to overlook the critical relationship flavor has to your brand and the positioning of your product. Flavor is a key link between your product and the benefit it offers to your target consumer. This session explores how to best match a flavor to your brand and product based on the descriptive attributes of the flavor and what your brand and product promise to the consumer.

Generating New Ideas — Tips and Techniques

Shedding our deadline-focused roles and tapping into our creative side to come up with new ideas is easier said than done. In this session, we will introduce some basic techniques and tools that we have gained through our experience with creative ideation and concepts, such as lateral thinking. You will return home prepared to brainstorm with your team to generate new ideas about products, processes, or challenges.

Keeping Up with “What’s Next”

Keeping up on “what’s next” takes time, research, and a keen understanding of how consumer trends move through the industry — and attendance at the right seminar! This session will provide an opportunity to taste, smell, and touch the exotic and rare ingredients you are hearing so much about. You, too, will be able to say, “Why yes, I’ve tried cupuaçu, and I think…”

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