In this episode of R&D RADIO, host and food scientist Adam Yee sits down with Lauren Senne, Senior Manager of Applications and Taste Modulation at Imbibe, a drink consultancy in Chicago, to break down the real difference between characterizing flavors and taste modulation. Lauren has spent over a decade at Imbibe and more than 13 years in the flavor industry, and is a certified flavor chemist through the Society of Flavor Chemists, a certification process that takes a minimum of seven years and, realistically, closer to a decade to complete.
Adam and Lauren dig into how bitter blockers actually work at the receptor level, why describing something as simple as "cherry" or "vanilla" can mean wildly different things to different clients, and what really happens to a product's mouthfeel and flavor balance when sugar gets pulled from a formula. They also get into why flavor houses guard their formulations as trade secrets and the clean-label trends reshaping the beverage world right now.
Listen in as they discuss:
- What flavor actually is, and the difference between characterizing flavor and taste modulation
- The rigorous, decade-long path to becoming a certified flavor chemist through the Society of Flavor Chemists
- What the certification exam actually tests, including identifying chemicals by smell alone
- How flavorists learn the natural chemical building blocks behind fruit, spice, and other flavor profiles
- Why aligning on something as simple as "cherry" or "vanilla" can be surprisingly difficult with clients
- Using reference products and live tastings to get everyone in the room aligned on a flavor direction
- How bitter blockers work by binding to bitter receptors so your brain can't perceive the bitterness at all
- Why most of Imbibe's taste modulation work is exclusively natural
- Where CPG founders commonly get stuck: stacking too many functional ingredients and creating unexpected off-notes
- What happens to mouthfeel and sweetness curve when sugar is removed and replaced with stevia or monk fruit
- Beverage trends Lauren is watching: clean label, protein and fiber combinations, and clear protein sodas
Episode Links:
- Lauren Senne - Senior Manager, Applications and Taste Modulation, Imbibe LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-senne-12102558
- Website: imbibeinc.com
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
