*Commentary courtesy of dsm-firmenich
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*Commentary courtesy of dsm-firmenich
- 2025 Taste, Texture & Health sales: 3,146 million euros
- Dual headquarters: Maastricht, the Netherlands/Kaiseraugst, Switzerland
dsm-firmenich
dsm-firmenich’s Taste, Texture & Health (TTH) business is dedicated to shaping the future of flavor by working closely with our customers to create food and beverages that are not only healthier and more sustainable, but also irresistibly delicious.
Taste is the primary driver of consumer choice—a fact consistently confirmed by decades of consumer research. Real impact happens where health, sustainability, and great flavor come together. Rather than seeing health and taste as trade-offs, we know consumers are far more likely to embrace healthier choices when they also deliver on enjoyment, familiarity and emotional connection, and we are constantly working to ensure the products we co-create with our customers do just that. This principal guides everything we do across our categories including beverages, dairy, baking, savory, and pet nutrition.
Now led by Maurizio Clementi, who became President of Taste, Texture & Health this year, the business is focused on accelerating growth by bringing together deep consumer insight, advanced receptor-based discovery and bioscience capabilities, and a truly global innovation ecosystem to help customers stay ahead of rapidly changing expectations.dsm-firmenich
Overall, our ambition is to help bring progress to life by addressing some of the food system’s most pressing challenges: enabling nutritious and sustainable food and beverages; accelerating diet transformation through products that deliver appealing taste and texture; and helping nourish a growing global population while minimizing food loss and waste.
Now led by Maurizio Clementi, who became President of Taste, Texture & Health this year, the business is focused on accelerating growth by bringing together deep consumer insight, advanced receptor-based discovery and bioscience capabilities, and a truly global innovation ecosystem to help customers stay ahead of rapidly changing expectations.
- Maurizio Clementi: ‘’At Taste, Texture & Health, we are redefining flavor leadership and shaping the future of food by combining world class science, global collaboration, and a deep understanding of how food connects to everyday life—helping our customers create solutions that deliver great taste while supporting consumers making healthier and more sustainable choices.’’
Recent innovations and key milestones
Over recent years, TTH has delivered a series of milestones that reinforce its role as a science-led partner shaping the future of food. Product innovation remains a key driver, with innovations such as NovaSense for enhanced mouthfeel and alcohol sensation in no- and low-alcohol beers, while TasteGEM and Fibradan help reduce sugar, preserve structure, and sustain nutrition in biscuits—delivering healthier biscuits with the same great taste. And with Delvo One, our tailored dairy culture solutions powered by AI, we ensure stability and consistently perfect taste and texture in dairy products.
Over recent years, TTH has delivered a series of milestones that reinforce its role as a science-led partner shaping the future of food. dsm-firmenich
In parallel, TTH has strengthened its global innovation footprint through the opening of new customer-centric hubs, including the Savory Taste Hub in Wageningen and the Van Marken Food Innovation Center in Delft, both in the Netherlands, as well as a bakery innovation hub in Princeton, North America. These developments were complemented by strategic investments to expand flavor capabilities in India, and investments in North Americas to accelerate growth in pet nutrition.
To be closer to customers and key talents in fast growing regions such as East Africa and China, we’ve also celebrated the opening of our new office and food and beverage center in Nairobi, Kenya and a new cultures proportioning & mixing and warehouse facility in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. Together, these milestones highlight TTH’s continued focus on combining science, scale and collaboration to lead meaningful transformation across global food systems.
Leading the evolution of taste and dietary expectations
Global dietary habits and flavor expectations are evolving faster than ever, driven by health priorities, sustainability concerns, convenience, and cultural diversity. Consumers increasingly expect cleaner labels and added functionality, alongside reduced sugar, salt and fat—without compromising on pleasure, familiarity, or emotional connection. At the same time, flavor preferences are shifting towards having greater recognition of regional cuisines and cultural identity.
We see this shift as an opportunity to redefine how great taste enables healthier and more sustainable food choices. By understanding how aroma and taste is perceived at a molecular level through our receptor-based discovery capabilities, we help customers reformulate existing products and develop new offerings that appeal to what consumers value most.
Looking ahead, the future of flavor will be defined by a balance between reassurance and exploration. Consumers continue to gravitate toward authentic, familiar profiles that deliver comfort, while also expecting transparency, functionality and improved nutritional credentials. Clean-label solutions and effective sugar and salt reduction are accelerating across markets. These are not short-term trends, but structural shifts in how consumers define value, quality, and enjoyment in food.
Adapting at speed across markets
Across key regions, demand is growing for authentic savory profiles, better-tasting high-protein solutions, and locally relevant flavor expression. The ability to respond quickly and precisely to these shifts is becoming a key competitive advantage.
At the core of TTH’s approach is a powerful innovation engine that brings together ingredient science, biotechnology, and digital tools. dsm-firmenich
TTH’s global network of 55 co-creation and application labs, 9 research & development centers, and customer-facing teams enables rapid collaboration and the delivery of market-ready solutions. By combining global scale with strong local insight and science-based taste capabilities, we are well positioned to adapt at speed, helping customers stay ahead of evolving preferences while consistently delivering on taste, quality, and relevance.
Innovation powered by science, sustainability, digitalization, and biotechnology
At the core of TTH’s approach is a powerful innovation engine that brings together ingredient science, biotechnology, and digital tools. Advanced fermentation and biotechnology open new ways to improve taste, stability and sustainability, while AI-enabled digital tools accelerate formulation, testing, and optimization.
Sustainability is embedded throughout our innovation pipeline. As climate impacts and supply volatility increase, the ability to reduce environmental footprint while maintaining taste and performance has been central to long-term success and reliable supply. Our integrated approach—combining sourcing expertise, formulation science and environmental insight—helps our customers build more resilient, responsible and future-proof products.
How we’re bringing progress to life
As consumer expectations continue to evolve and markets become more complex, the future of flavor innovation at dsm firmenich will be shaped by the ability to leverage deep consumer understanding to guide advanced science, digitalization, and biotechnology to deliver no compromise solutions in collaboration with our customers and their brands.
By continuing to invest in science based flavor leadership, Taste, Texture & Health is well positioned to help our customers shape the future of food: accelerating time to market, while delivering enjoyment, nutrition, and sustainability.
