Aromas and their applications in the food and beverage industry

Did you know that practically everything we eat or drink has an aroma and that it plays a fundamental role in the consumer’s approval of a product?

In the food and beverage industry, aromas are present in practically all products, just as we find them in abundance in nature. They are found in juices, soft drinks, mixed drinks, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, alcoholic drinks, dairy products, ice cream, snacks, cookies, cakes, candies, sweets, chewing gum, charcuterie, prepared meals and in many other food categories. 

The power of aromas is indisputable. The aroma, which gives smell and flavor to food, awakens affective memories and stirs emotions and makes it easy to understand why flavor is the main factor in the consumer’s repurchasing of a product.

Aroma is a perception that begins in the nose, but that can reach other senses, leading to sensory experiences that are associated with feelings. The world of aromas and flavors awakens emotions and can even affect moods, as we see with mood food. That is why it’s so important when it comes to product development.

To better understand, aromas are substances, or a mixture of substances, with aromatic and/or flavorful properties, capable of imparting or intensifying the aroma and/or flavor of foods and drinks, according to the definition by Anvisa (the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency). In product performance, it is extremely important, as it is the identity of what is being produced.

The role of aroma in the food and beverage industry

Aromas play a fundamental role in the consumer approval of products, and they are extremely delicate, as consumers are very sensitive to any variations. The consumer certainly notices when these variations occur. Sometimes, they can’t put into words what has changed, but they notice it and can point out the difference.

The process of creating and developing an aroma is the result of a complex and wonderful world that brings together highly specialized knowledge of raw materials, technologies, legislation, final products and consumer desires, as well as great sensitivity and art.

Aromas for food and drinks: perceptions that enhance emotions

It is worth remembering that the act of eating goes far beyond nutrition. Tasting a food can produce a variety of perceptions that are produced by the integration of vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste.

Food characteristics such as aroma, flavor, texture and crunchiness must be in harmony, after all, if a biscuit is soft or has a bitter aftertaste, its commercialization will invariably be doomed to failure. As perception is related to the five senses, the greater the alignment between the positive attributes of each food or drink, the greater the possibility of ensuring good consumption experiences.

To achieve this pleasure and evoke good sensations, ingredient industries need to be attentive to all the notes to reproduce the best experiences. In this case, some technologies are used to help in the quest for the best performance, whether it’s flavoring to highlight the identity of a product with characteristic flavor and aroma, to mask off-notes (as with cereal-based foods), to guarantee a standard of quality with defined aromas, or even to provide a “long-lasting” effect, (as is chewing gum, for example). There is no doubt that to ensure the level of excellence and precision of the desired attributes, there is a lot of science and art involved in creating aromas for foods and drinks. The more senses that are positively stimulated and in an integrated way by food, the greater the potential for promoting pleasure in the act of tasting and, consequently, the greater the chance of the product’s success.