Flavor | Perfumer & Flavorist

As previously announced, Penta will seek acquisition opportunities in the specialty chemical distribution and manufacturing space.

Penta Names Greg Robertson CEO to Lead Next Growth Phase

Penta will seek acquisition opportunities in the specialty chemical distribution and manufacturing space.

Fuzzy and poorly researched ultra-processed food definitions confuse both consumers and policymakers: they penalize minor functional processing (like adding emulsifiers, vitamins or flavor materials to healthy foods) and ignores that not all industrial processing is inherently bad.

California’s AB 2244: What the Emerging 'Non-Ultraprocessed' Standard Means for Flavors

The presence of a flavoring ingredient alone does not automatically make a food ultraprocessed.

Cvista works across orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit and apple, serving roughly 130 customers worldwide. It uses distillation, extraction, resin-based processing and molecular distillation to isolate and purify trace compounds that occur naturally in citrus oils.

Mane Makes Major Citrus Play With Cvista Acquisition

The acquisition is particularly significant for the specialty citrus fractions that sit behind more differentiated flavor profiles.

Symrise and AmeriTerpenes will maintain a long-term commercial relationship, with agreed supply arrangements providing Symrise continued access to renewable, terpene-based raw materials. The companies described the arrangements as creating an enduring industrial partnership supporting both businesses' future growth.

Symrise Divests AmeriTerpenes Business as It Sharpens One Symrise Portfolio

The company is divesting businesses that sit outside the company's highest-priority growth platforms.

Professionals working with naturals often require knowledge of sourcing, traceability, quality variation, supplier relationships, certification, regulation and the financial effect of inconsistent supply.

Five Talent Trends Shaping Hiring Across Specialty Ingredients in 2026

Technical expertise alone won't cut it anymore in specialty ingredients hiring.

With portions shrinking dramatically—some consumers reporting a shift from three or four chapatis to one or two, or from multiple bowls of rice to half a bowl—the sensory and nutritional payoff of each bite becomes increasingly important.

GLP-1s Are Changing What “Good Taste” Means

There is an opportunity to engineer better-balanced flavor experiences that deliver satisfaction without overwhelming altered sensory perceptions.

The current µBites formulation still relies on conventional additions: after the yeast produces the core ingredients, researchers add fiber, starch and sweetener, then use a 3D printer to form the mixture into cookies.

Yeast Turns Plastic Waste Into a Better-Tasting Cookie

Baker’s yeast has been engineered to produce vanilla flavoring from plant biomass, giving the otherwise highly unconventional cookie a familiar sensory profile.

Descriptions of individual molecules may provide useful information about how those molecules will contribute to the perceived similarity or difference between mixtures.

Monell Researchers Help Build a New AI Framework for Predicting How Smells Mix

Can a machine understand whether two complex smells will be perceived as similar?

Sclareol is an important intermediate used to produce amber fragrance ingredients, including dsm-firmenich's Ambrox Super. dsm-firmenich says it holds patents and proprietary know-how covering sclareol production and related derivatives, and is seeking to protect those rights as biotech-based production becomes increasingly important to the fragrance industry.

dsm-firmenich Files China Patent Case Over Biotech Sclareol Production

Sclareol is an important intermediate used to produce amber fragrance ingredients, including Ambrox Super.

7 Up Lime Lemon Hero Photo

7UP Puts Lime Front and Center in Flavor-Focused Brand Overhaul

The strategy is notable for how explicitly it identifies a single citrus note as the brand’s signature.

The sweet, balsamic elements of natural vanillin ex vanilla beans would complement all vanilla profiles, from creamy French vanilla to beany vanilla Madagascar type, while it would provide additional complexity to variety of brown flavors, like caramel and chocolate.

From Vanillin to Pyrazines: A Deep Dive into Natural Aroma Ingredients Shaping Modern Flavor Design

Sulfurous, tropical, nutty, roasted, floral and other tonalities.

Notably, 41% of Gen Z and 40% of millennial non-drinkers say they feel comfortable in social situations without alcohol while others are drinking; this sentiment is also shared by 48% of Gen X and 66% of baby boomer abstainers.

Beyond the Buzz: How Sensory Advancement Is Redefining the Low/No Alcohol Revolution

The future belongs to brands that can demonstrate value to consumers that complex flavor is the experience, not an afterthought.