IFEAT 2004 — themed “The Essential Oils of the Mediterranean Region and International Developments in Aroma Chemicals and Industry Legislation” — took place in Lisbon, Portugal. (IFEAT 2005 will take place October 16-20 in Cochin, Kerala, India.) With over 600 delegates from more than 45 countries, this annual conference proved a success for the international organization. But how does IFEAT choose the conference location each year? In addition to organizing the annual conference, what goals and activities does IFEAT take part in? What key issues face the industry as a whole? While attending the IFEAT 2004 conference, Perfumer & Flavorist posed these and other questions to IFEAT chairman Michael Boudjouk.

Tradition, Expansion: Treatt (pg 16)

Operational expansion, global reach, creative industry partnerships and an eye to the future

At almost 120 years old, Treatt has grown from a London-based brokerage to a global entity with particular focus on citrus essential oils, in addition to other oils and natural fractions (see “Then, Now” and “Range of Expertise”). Today, the public company’s operations straddle two continents — Treatt USA (Lakeland, FL) and RC Treatt (Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom) — employing a total of 173: 30 in sales and purchasing, 21 in technical capacities, 64 in production and 58 in administration/finance. In addition to the combined group, the company manages a growing network of agents across the globe, including Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Korea, Hong Kong, Sweden, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan and Croatia, among others. This thriving entity has yielded annual sales of more than $55 million, serving in excess of 90 countries. With this network of agents, Treatt is able to service both the smaller/national companies as well as the major multinational producers — an area rich with opportunities.

Trend Tracking: What Kids Want (pg 25)

The gross, fun active, imaginative and empowering aspects that children seek in food choices

In developing perfumes, formulators often have to ask themselves “What do women want?” But in a consumer market increasingly driven by children, what questions do flavor formulators need to consider? Perfumer & Flavorist recently spoke with Colleen Fahey, executive vice president, director of strategic planning at Publicis Dialog Seattle, to discuss this powerful and perpetually in-flux segment of the population. Fahey got her start as a “creative” working with food company clients, particularly McDonalds where she participated in the development of the Happy Meal. She also worked on the marketing introduction of Hubba Bubba gum (Wrigley) and Starburst (Mars). Here Fahey brings her experience to bear on everything from what makes children’s food unique to the evolution of kids’ tastes to the cultural trends shaping youth food choices.

Savory Flavors: Reaction Systems (pg 28)
Claus O. Schmidt, Gerhard E. Krammer, Berthold Weber, Detlef Stöckigt, Klaus Herbrand, Frank Ott, Günter Kindel, Stefan Brennecke, Ian L. Gatfield and Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, Symrise GmbH & Co. KG

Identification and formation of thiazolidines and thiazolines in fried chicken liver

During frying of meat, many different chemical reactions take place. Meat is a source of fat, proteins and carbohydrates. During thermal treatment, fatty acids, amino acids, sugars and other degradation products are formed which are able to undergo further reactions. Well-known reactions include the Maillard reaction between reducing sugars and amino acids and the Strecker degradation of amino acids.

Flavorists at Work: Less is More (Tasty) (pg 36)

Flavorists Dennis Kujawski and Marie Wright discuss creating innovative flavors in a continually changing industry

Low-carb is on the wane. The desire for all things organic is surging. In this mutable environment, flexible and talented flavorists are more necessary than ever to address shifting consumer needs. Today’s flavor formulators have to create at a faster pace while adhering to an ever-expanding list of regulations. Within all of this commotion, how do new and unique fl avors get created? How do flavorists balance the creative and scientific sides of flavor creation? What trends are emerging and what is the overall outlook of the industry? Perfumer & Flavorist recently posed these and other questions to IFF flavorists Dennis Kujawski (senior flavorist) and Marie Wright (flavor creation manager).

Flavor Materials: Chemical Sources Association Tastings (pg 40)
Gerard Mosciano

Fruity to sweet to cheesy to rummy and beyond

The initial motivation behind the formation of the Chemical Sources Association was to identify sources and obtain and distribute samples of hard-to-source flavor ingredients to member companies. Before Chemical Sources, the majority of flavor ingredients were the result of the moneyed research efforts of the larger flavor companies. Those companies could afford the large expenditure of funds to staff sizeable research groups that would produce a few new patentable novel potential flavor ingredients per year. These flavor ingredients would become exclusive through synthesis and application patents. In addition, these ingredients would be detectable in finished flavors long before the FEMA lists were published. The large flavor companies did all they could to confuse the issue giving their products such fanciful names as “Raspberry Ketone,” “Aldehyde C-18,” “Cocal” and a number of other novel names. Even when exclusive ingredients were identified by being published by the FEMA expert panel, finding acceptable sources of food-grade material was extremely difficult. The result was an inability of the smaller flavor companies to fully satisfy their customers’ flavor requests.

Narcissus poeticus: The Heart Note (pg 46)
Rhiannon Harris, essential Oil Resource Consultants

Olfactive aspects, chemical composition, extraction, economics and ethnobotany

The intensely fragrant Narcissus poeticus or poet’s narcissus has been highly prized in perfumery since the early 20th century. Until the late 1960s, one of the principal zones of harvest (cited by Guenther) of these wild blooms was the Haut Var region of Provence, where the author currently lives. This article brings together botany, history, personal accounts of hand-harvesting, folklore and medicinal uses of this remarkable plant. It also describes current transformation processes for the production of narcissus concrete and absolute, chemical composition as well as fragrance uses.

New Aroma Chemical Applications: Fabric Care (pg 54)
Haiqing Liu, S. Kay Obendorf, Michael Leonard, Timothy Young and Michael Incorvia

Distribution of aroma chemicals on textile fibers

Understanding the factors that influence retention and release of aroma chemicals from textiles is important for development of consumer products for fabric care applications. Olfactometry, as well as gas chromatographic, techniques have been extensively used to investigate the deposition of aroma chemicals on fabrics and to evaluate their performance in consumer products. However, the distributions of aroma chemicals within the textiles are less well defined. Electron microscopy techniques have been used to study the distribution of chemical finishing agents and soils on fibers and within yarns. Studies show that the penetration and distribution of these materials can be understood in terms of the chemical and physical properties of the textile.

Global sustainability: Safrole (pg 62)
Adailson da Silva Santos, Adelaide Maria de Souza Antunes, Luiz Antonio d’Avila, Humberto Ribeiro Bizzo and Leila Costa de Souza Santos

Alternatives for industrial production

The uncontrolled extraction of flora has been a common practice in Brazil’s economic and industrial history. This reality is poignant if one investigates the economic exploitation of the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest species like Ocotea cymbarum, whose essential oil was an important raw material for the extraction of safrole. Research is now focusing on finding new vegetable sources capable of yielding an essential oil with a high proportion of safrole while permitting management practices that conserve the world’s biodiversity.

Progress in Essential Oils (pg 66)
Brian M. Lawrence

Geranium and basil oil

Organoleptic Characteristics of Flavor Materials (pg 80)
Gerard Mosciano

Angelical root extract, bread crust note, coffee oil and more