Flavor
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Confection / Grain / beverage / market development
v o l u m e
the
4 7
m a y
2 0 1 3
Salt Problem and the
Taste Solution
Too much salt is bad for us.
But darn it — it tastes good!
Sixteen food companies including Kraft, Heinz,
Subway and Starbucks agreed to cut the amount
of salt in their products as part of a national effort
to reduce sodium consumption by 20%. They
committed to the National Salt Reduction Initiative
in response to increased focus on the high amount
of salt in Americans’ diets — 2.3 the recommended
amount according the Center for Disease Control.
Story continues inside....
Special Announcement
Discover FONA:
Bringing Science to Life
We are excited to announce the expansion of
Discover FONA, our community education program.
In 2012, we connected with nearly 1,400 students from
20 area schools, and our reach is continuing to grow. Over
the coming months, we’ll be adding fun and interesting
lesson plans, demonstrations, tools and resources to our
website that will help bring science and the world of
flavors to life in the classroom.
Our goal is to help teachers engage their students with
real-world applications of their studies and introduce
career opportunities through hands-on activities showing
food science and chemistry in action.
Education is important to us here at FONA, and we
are thrilled to have this avenue to connect with our
community and share the excitement of the flavor and
food industries!
Chairman’s
Corner
I am so happy our Discover FONA
community education program is reaching
so many students. It is a great way to
share the fun of science with students
and introduce them to the many exciting
careers available in the food and flavor
industries. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even
spark a new interest that becomes a lifelong passion for a student.
Discover FONA is an excellent fit for
us here at FONA. It enables us to share
our passion for education and, of course,
our passion for the flavor industry! Our
speakers bureau program, white papers on
our website, and the way we work sideby-side with our valued partners are all
examples of how we put into action our
founding value of being life-long learners.
It’s all about striving for excellence in all we
do. What have you learned today?
Sincerely,
Joe Slawek
Chairman & CEO
The Salt Problem and the Taste Solution [continued from cover]
Needed:
Less salt, all the taste.
“Salt, at the levels present
in the diets of most people
around the world,
is probably the single
most harmful substance
in the food supply.”
-- Center for Science in the Public Interest
When surveyed, consumers seem to be on board the salt
reduction train:
• 53% of U.S. adults are concerned about the amount
of salt/sodium in their diet.
• 59% claim to usually or always limit sodium intake at
home by cutting back on snacks and processed foods.
But, even with more than half of respondents voicing
concerns about salt, many products with low sodium
claims don’t last on grocery store shelves. It’s not a mystery
why this train hasn’t left the station: taste. People are
reaching for what they like, rather than what is better for
them. And people like the taste of salt.
“A large percentage of the global food industry remains
wary of the commercial impacts of reducing salt in their
products,” says Chris Brockman, Mintel global food and
drink analyst. “Consumers are concerned about salt intake,
but are not willing to compromise on taste.”
Technology Taste
Solutions
Two main ways companies have attempted to meet
consumer demand for lower sodium with full flavor are
gradual reductions in salt perception in their products, and
by attempting to maintain the saltiness perception through
alternative ingredients and technology solutions.
Robert Sobel, FONA’s VP of Research, Quality &
Innovation, researches and presents technical symposia on
technology solutions for sodium reduction. Here he shares
two methods for modifying taste perception of lower
sodium products through technology:
Physical Structure
One possible route for salt reduction is to change the
physical structure of the salt itself or the salted food; this can
alter how the salt interacts with the tongue. One area that
seems promising is the addition of tasteless, safe materials
to the salt in order to allow for a smaller salt particle size
without agglomeration of the salt during storage. These
smaller particles dissolve more rapidly in saliva and are able
to be sensed more rapidly and with greater initial intensity
as a result.
for sweet taste, but has only recently been investigated for
saltiness. Research has shown that some odors, specifically
sardine and ham, increased saltiness perception in a salt-free
water solution. Sardine aroma was again found to enhance
saltiness when it was applied in a more complex food
matrix, a model cheese system. This increase has recently
been shown to be dependent on salt concentration —
meaning that products with low and moderate salt
concentrations are more significantly enhanced by
phantom aromas than those with more salt.
Phantom Aromas
Another possibility is the use of phantom aromas — odors
at or below the detection threshold — to enhance the
perception of salty taste. This has been well-established
Read More:
Robert Sobel’s white paper
on taste modification for
sodium reduction,
including a look at umami
compounds and plant salt
substitutes, is available at
http://goo.gl/zBPHK,
or scan the QR code.
Expertise you can trust
Let FONA’s flavor and product development experts help
you find the solution that works best for your particular
product, while working through the unique set of
characteristics and challenges presented. We understand
how to integrate the complexities of flavor with your brand
development, technical requirements, and regulatory needs
to deliver a complete taste solution.
Contact our Sales Service Department
at 630.578.8600 to request a flavor sample or visit
www.fona.com.
Faces of FONA
Cassie Beers
Benjamin Bun
Lisa Cummins
Promotions
Cassie Beers,
Sr. Applications Technologist — Grain
Since joining FONA in 2008, Cassie
has served our customers and the grain
team with excellence by focusing on
building strong partnerships and providing
outstanding technical service and flavor
solutions. In her new role, she will
continue to work closely with our valued
partners, helping solve technical challenges
and create the flavors their customers desire.
Cassie has a B.S. in nutrition from Northern
Illinois University.
Benjamin Bun, Associate Scientist —
Technology & Innovation
Ben has been an integral part of the T & I
team, assisting with the development
of LumiCore and other encapsulation
technologies. He has also brought a
new level of technical sophistication to
the group through the addition of new
instrumentation: differential scanning
calorimeter, nano-homogenizer, and digital
optical microscopy. Ben will now lead the
further development of LumiCore 2.0
and be responsible for researching and
developing new distillation products.
He has a B.S. in biology from Northern
Illinois University.
Lisa Cummins,
Regulatory Affairs Manager
In the year since her promotion to Senior
Supervisor, Lisa has further developed and
solidified her leadership skills through
innovative new programs like “Reg Box
Blast Meetings” and extensive cross-training.
John Fishel
Jennifer Hoffmann
Beth Julian
Lisa will continue to support the Grain
and Beverage Business Units through
customer visits, Flavor University® support
and project team meetings while growing her
team to assume increasing responsibilities in
their interactions with their business units.
Lisa has a B.S. in biology from Northern
Illinois University.
John Fishel,
Sr. Applications Technologist — Beverage
Since joining FONA in 2008, John has
been a key contributor to our beverage
team. Our customers have recognized his
applications expertise and have asked him to
troubleshoot product issues beyond flavor.
John does everything from developing starter
base formulas to optimizing acidity, color,
texture and viscosity to meet and exceed
expectations. He also shares his knowledge
with customers by presenting on functional
ingredients, taste modifications, grains and
proteins. John has a B.S. in chemistry from
Millikin University.
Jennifer Hoffmann,
Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager
During her 13 years at FONA, Jenn has
been integral to the ongoing leadership
and development of regulatory solutions
to meet increased demands for international,
industry and customer standards. In her
new role, Jenn will be leading FONA’s
Regulatory Managers, encouraging
employee growth, deploying novel solutions
to regulatory challenges and building more
in-depth relationships with customers. She
has a B.A. from State University of New
York — New Paltz.
Rigo Magana
Gautam Gaonkar
Beth Julian, Jr. Scientist — Confections
Beth is a key contributor to the growth
of our Confections team, working hard
to ensure our customers enjoy excellent
service and flavor solutions they expect from
FONA. In her new role, Beth will continue
to support the flavor and technology needs
of our customers, while also working with
our flavor partners in India and China. Beth
has a B.S. in biology from Marietta College.
Rigo Magana,
Applications Technologist — Beverage
Over the past eight years, Rigo’s technical
flavor expertise and leadership have
helped support the beverage team and our
customers. He is skilled at formulating and
producing finished prototypes and selecting
appropriate flavors, based on the customers’
parameters. Rigo also develops and presents
a variety of demonstrations that showcase
FONA’s technical expertise.
New Hire
Gautam Gaonkar, Account Associate
Gautam joins our sales team with experience
in consumer product development
and researching flavor encapsulation
technologies. This technical knowledge
makes him a terrific resource for our
customers as he delivers excellent service and
helps meet their flavor needs. Gautam holds
a B.S. in biochemistry from the Illinois
Institute of Technology.
Flavor
Experience FONA.com!
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FONA International’s quarterly newsletter
IN THIS ISSUE
The Salt Problem and the
Taste Solution
1900 Averill Road
Geneva, IL 60134 USA
Discover FONA: Our
community education program
STAY IN THE LOOP
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Flavor News
Volume 47, May 2013
Published by FONA International Inc.
630.578.8600
www.fona.com
Flavor News is printed on 30%
post-consumer recycled paper.
2013 Fall Course Schedule
We recommend completion of
Flavor 101® in preparation for
201-level seminars.
Join Us at Flavor University!
Flavor University classes provide food and beverage professionals
with a practical understanding of the creation and use of flavors
in product development. These complimentary classes fill quickly,
so register today!
Visit flavoruniversity.com or call 630.578.8600
for complete course details.
GENEVA, IL
Flavor 101
Sept. 9-10
Oct. 7-8
Grain Flavor 201®: Flavor Solutions
for Cereal and Snacks
Nov. 5-6
Beverage Flavor 201®
Sept. 24-25
TORONTO, ON, CANADA
Flavor 101®
Oct. 10