From masking to mouthfeel, our dairy flavors have unique functional benefits beyond those often associated with “flavor.” For example, quite a bit of our research has been devoted to ways to mask off-notes in plant-based beverages, which typically contain bitterness, metallic and cardboard notes.
Recently, we conducted sensory evaluations of two different plant-based beverages. The first version was designed to mask off-notes, and the second version masked those off-notes while also enhancing the creaminess and sweetness of the finished beverage.
The Impact of Flavors
Our sensory evaluations revealed that the base product of this plant-based beverage, without Edlong flavors, had an undesirable flavor profile with earthy, cardboard and residual bitterness, and with evident cooked vegetable protein notes. Our Edlong masking flavor neutralized the off-notes. We then added a combination of Edlong milk and sweet dairy flavors to enhance the creaminess and richness, as well as increase the overall perception of sweetness. Because we used non-dairy flavors the beverage was still completely vegan.
Our pea and rice protein beverage is merely one example of how developers can expand their product range to meet consumer demand, with the addition of natural dairy-free and vegan flavors, at low levels.
Read our white paper, Making Plant-Based Delicious, for even more information about how Edlong is helping move plant-based from emerging trend to mainstream, and improve the taste of plant-based products.
Topics: BeveragesVegan
Resource Type: The Art of Flavor