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Flavor Encapsulation in

Food and Beverages

Carrying new and varied flavor combinations into food and beverage applications is a challenge for manufacturers,

especially when it comes delivering flavors through natural products. Helen Hook, Marketing Manager at Ingredion

EMEA, explores how nature-based flavor carriers can help brands burst onto the culinary scene.

arious new and exotic Not only do manufacturers need to

flavor fusions have hit the be aware of these new trends, they
Vsupermarket shelves over must also acquire the capability to
the past year: lychee and pineapple, effectively encapsulate these fl avors
Stracciatella and salted caramel and and carry them into their fi nal
fennel and cardamom to name a products.
few. With global travel now possible
at the click of a button and the rise PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
of the ‘Instagram effect’, exposure to In order to meet demand for these
new cultures, cuisines and fl avors bold and interesting fl avors while
is increasing consumer demand assuring consistent and cost-
and expectation for these foods and effective production, ingredient
tastes to be available at home too. formulations and processes need to
The emergence of the ‘adventurous advance. In particular, the process

consumer’ has seen a 17 percent by which liquidbased fl avors are flowing powder which can be used to
average annual growth in global food converted into powders. develop dry-mix seasoning blends,
and beverage launches with ethnic powdered sauces and teas.
flavors over the 2013-20171 period. The most common and traditional

technique used to encapsulate With the emergence of more middle-
The applications of these fl avors, flavors is spray drying, with plating eastern, Japanese and Mediterranean

or combinations of fl avors, is onto maltodextrin being the other flavors, manufacturers are looking

broadening beyond the traditional key flavor-carrying process. Plating to transform more liquid and oil-

spice or seasoning blends and refers to the physical blending based flavors to deliver freefl owing
instant noodles and translating into of liquid substances onto a solid and homogenous powders. Even

flavored teas, savoury snacks, sports carrier, in this case most commonly a small amount of these delicate
nutrition and powdered beverages. maltodextrin. This creates a free- ingredients can be expensive. This
means maximizing plating capacity
while carrying a consistent fl avor
with good shelf-life is a top concern
for food producers.

Using traditional plating agents and
techniques such as spray drying
can prove a challenge, particularly
for thick and syruplike liquids. Due
to the viscosity of such ingredients,
processing conditions need to be
adapted, often adding costs and
time.

HIGH-EFFICIENCY PLATING
TECHNOLOGY
An alternative solution that has
emerged in recent years is a

Food Marketing & Technology 27 February 2020