Chewing gum: R.V. Potineni and D.G. Peterson had a couple of interesting publications regarding flavor release in chewing gum. First, the pair reported that the release of the sugar alcohol phase in sugar-free chewing gum was directly related to the release profile of cinnamaldehyde in the same product. The authors examined a number of flavor solvents in the study, including triacetin, propylene glycol and medium chained triglycerides. Specifically, they looked at the effect on texture, flavor release and sensory perception effects on sugar-free chewing gum.

Around the Industry: One Beautiful Thing (pg. 22—1 pages)

WFFC presents an evening of naturals and natural perfumery

Women in Flavor and Fragrance Commerce recently held the first of its WFFC Mini Series—an evening gathering at Mane’s Manhattan offices featuring a natural raw material and fragrance creation conversation with Mandy Aftel (Aftelier). Aftel is often spoken of in terms that pit her form of simple natural artisanal perfumery against that of mainstream fragrance creation, yet her presentation de-emphasized any such notion. Rather than being anti-synthetics (she is not), Aftel says she merely prefers naturals.

Survival, Love and Food: Cracking the “Perfume Code” (pg. 24—5 pages)

A new program pairs flavorists and perfumers to take fragrances beyond “just odor”

“It’s almost like a heartbeat,” says Firmenich fine fragrance perfumer Honorine Blanc, discussing the effects of adding subliminal food notes to fragrances. The Swiss company believes it has created a system—the FiFi-nominated Smell the Tastea—that harnesses the craftsmanship of flavorists and the more abstract art of perfumers to create polysensorial scents that go beyond conventional food notes: the juiciness and crunch of apples, the bubbles in champagne.
The head of the program, Syed Shamil (director of innovation marketing, fine fragrance), is a PhD whose background is in the flavor side of the business. Fragrance houses have long been employing food notes in fragrances. So how is this program different? “Many times, when the fragrance description talks about a food note, it’s not using a flavor,” says Shamil. “It’s an abstract interpretation of a food note. Our work includes a real flavor that has been adapted for perfumery use.” Because of the collaboration with flavorists, he says, these scents incorporate all dimensions of flavor: taste, smell and texture.

Q&A: Sparking the Perfume Conversation (pg. 30—3 pages)

Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez discuss their passion for fragrance and the emerging perfume culture

Luca Turin, a leading scholar in t he fi eld of olfactory science and author, along with perfume reviewer and collector Tania Sanchez, of The Secret of Scent, have released their latest book— Perfumes: The Guide. In this entertaining and opinionated book, Sanchez and Turin combine their talents and experience to review nearly 1,500 fragrances, separating the divine and the good from the monumentally awful. In each review, either Turin or Sanchez offers a vivid description of the scent along with a 1 to 5 star rating (1 being awful and 5 being a masterpiece).
In addition to the reviews, Turin and Sanchez provide around 50 pages of introductory essays on subjects such as the history of perfume, how to choose a feminine fragrance, frequently asked questions about perfume, and how the industry has changed—for better and worse—over the years. The back content includes a brief glossary of materials and terms used throughout the reviews and top 10 lists in nine different fragrance categories (see Top 10 Lists). Not only is Perfumes an essential guide to shopping for fragrance, but it is also a unique reading experience. Perfumer & Flavorist magazine recently spoke with Turin and Sanchez to discuss their relationship with fragrance, the effect fragrance writing has had on the industry, and the state of the fragrance industry.

Cover Story: Flavors to Watch (pg. 34—3 pages)
Cara Newkirk, FONA International

FONA’s Flavor Radar tracks flavor trends from novel to mainstream

In the flavor industry, assertions about trends can sometimes seem heavy on the intangibles and light on data. To fill the gap between theory and fact, FONA International developed the Flavor Radar, a flavor mapping methodology that trends flavors from a novel idea to an everyday pantry staple. FONA’s Flavor Radar mixes current data points from industry-renowned databases and in-depth analysis on how a flavor trend is affecting the food industry. Combining a comprehensive set of indicators—including restaurant menus, new product introductions and print media data—with analysis, enables the reduction of speculation from the study of flavor trends. The Flavor Radar encompasses four categories: novel, up-and-coming, mainstream and everyday. These different categories are driven by a combination of factors, including a flavor’s appearance on restaurant menus from fine dining to quick service, new product introductions from stage one (premium product) to stage three (national brand), and print media publications that appeal to a range of consumers from the gastronomic consummate to the casual gourmand. Presented in this article is just a sampling of some of the flavors that have been mapped on the Flavor Radar.

Cyber Anthropology: Why Blogs Matter (pg. 38—2 pages)
Michelle Krell Kydd

What we can learn by mining thriving online fragrance communities

Human beings are social creatures that bond intensely when sharing ideas, opinions and passions. Blogging provides a virtual outlet for expression that increases the chances of like minds meeting one another. Blogging is as much a technological phenomenon as a social one. People are driven by the desire to connect to something authentic when they read and run blogs. The virtual medium for these communications smashes limits of space and time. This is what causes so much confusion for marketers, many of whom do not have “real time” to read blogs in their respective verticals, let alone run a blog.

Fragrance Sustainability: Seeking a Sustainable Alternative to Brazilian Rosewood (pg. 40—3 pages)
Fernanda Lupe, Rita Souza and Lauro Barata, State University of Campinas

Linalool enantiomers in the essential oils of aromatic plants from Brazil: Aniba rosaeodora (rosewood), Lippia alba (erva cidreira) and Ocimum basilicum (basil)

Brazil was the 10th largest essential oil importer in 2004 ($42 million), and the fourth largest exporter ($98 million) after the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Chief Brazilian oil exports in 2005–2006 were orange (80%; citrus oils comprised 91% of the total exports), lemon, lime, eucalyptus and rosewood. Exported products are characterized by high volume, low price and reduced aggregated value, at an average price of $2.60/kg. However, the average growth was 8.2% in the period 2000–2004. This year, the value of Brazil’s essential oil production is expected to reach $82 million, a fall of 16% attributable to the lack of citrus oils in production. Brazil imported 2.761 million tons of essential oils in 2004 at a price of $15,235 per ton of product, and exported 32,000 tons of essential oils (August 2005 to August 2006).1 Exported products from the Brazilian biodiversity contributed just 0.07% to the total Brazilian market. Meanwhile, rosewood oil comprised 3%—or US$2.80 million—of the market, the majority of which ended up in the fine fragrance industry.

Progress in Essential Oils (pg. 44—10 pages)
Brian M. Lawrence

Lawrence discusses the composition of new Caledonium sandalwood oil and chamomile oil from Croatia, Slovak Republic, Greece, India, Italy and Serbia. Additionally, he covers the composition of lavandin oil from Hungary, Iowa (USA), Turkey, France and Australia.

Organoleptic Characteristics of Flavor Materials (pg. 56—2 pages)
Gerard Mosciano

Materials Evaluated: Basmati Brown Rice Distillate (Mooreganics by A.M. Todd); Benzyl Cinnamate (SAFC); Butyl Hexanoate (Fleurchem); 2,5-Dimethyl Furan (SAFC); Ethyl 4-Pentenoate (Bedoukian Research Inc.); 2-Hepten-4-one (Fontarome Chemical Inc.); Lemon Fresh (Lionel Hitchen (Essential Oils) Ltd.); 1-Methyl-2,3-cyclohexadione (Treatt); Nerolidol (Charabot); 3-Nonanone (Bedoukian Research Inc.); Olive Oil Distillate (Mooreganics by A.M. Todd); 2,4,5-Trimethyl-delta-3-oxazoline (Oxford Chemicals Ltd.); Tuscan Herb Soluble Oleoresin (Lionel Hitchen (Essential Oils) Ltd.)