Dive Brief:

• French company Ederna has developed a cold concentration process to extract citrus flavors and aromas without thermal degradation, according to Food Ingredients First.

• The process, called evapEOs Engineered Osmosis, retains more of the raw material’s natural flavors and aromas, compared to traditional vacuum evaporation.

• Ederna's process is also cheaper and better for the environment, using half as much energy to produce a superior product, the company claims.

Dive Insight:

Citrus flavors are a perennial flavor choice for food and drink manufacturers. Orange, lemon and lime remain the most popular, but other citrus flavors, including grapefruit, mandarin orange, blood orange, bergamot and pomelo are also showing up in a range of foods. These products categories include snacks, bakery items, yogurt, beverages, candy and sauces.

Natural claims are also increasingly important for consumers, and natural variants now account for more than 70% of the global citrus flavors market, according to Future Market Insights. It predicts that the overall market will grow by 4.9% a year to 2025, primarily driven by the beverage sector, which accounts for about a third of all citrus flavor use.

Ederna’s new process taps into demand from manufacturers for more stable flavor compounds, which have a longer shelf life and are better able to withstand further processing. According to the FMI report, innovation in manufacturing technology has been a major driver for the uptake of citrus flavors, as their functional properties have improved.

Cheaper, better quality extraction may also help ease the price volatility that has dogged the citrus flavors market due to seasonal supply fluctuations.