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THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF FLAVOURISTS
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April & May The first British Society of Flavourists training course for flavourists was held in April and May at the University of Reading, School of Biosciences, in conjunction with the University and the International Federation of Essential Oil and Aroma Trades. The course duration was six weeks and was attended by seven trainee flavourists from Europe and South America.
Weeks three and four were placements in flavour companies, either the delegates' own companies or a company in the UK that offered to accommodate them. During this time they were expected to create three flavourings, using a designated set of raw materials, with a minimal amount of help from the placement company. The results were subsequently presented, with at least one in application, to the other candidates and the organising committee. The emphasis in week five was on natural raw materials including essential oils, oleoresins and other extracts of importance to the industry. Again the practical use of these materials in flavour creation, particularly in conjunction with nature identical raw materials, was emphasised. This week also included a visit to, and a presentation by, a flavour company specialising in essential oils and extracts. Lectures during this part of the course were on subjects as diverse as flavour legislation, process flavour chemistry and sensory evaluation. A pilot scale spray drying of a flavour was undertaken. The flavour had been created by one of the delegates and an evaluation of the result against the starting flavour demonstrated the effect of spray drying and the need to compensate for the changes that occur. Week six included the evaluation of the products from the placements and the creation of a pear flavouring. The group initially produced a base as a group activity and then each delegate modifying this to suit their own taste and market. Lectures were provided on flavour applications to beverages and flour confectionery. Finally a written examination was taken by each candidate as part of their final assessment. All seven candidates passed with flying colours and were presented with their certificates by the Head of the School of Food Biosciences and BSF student membership by the BSF President at a course dinner provided by the University. We wish to thank the lecturers all of whom were either BSF members or staff in the university. We also express our gratitude to the companies who provided raw material samples, other teaching aids and placement for the students. The 2004 course is scheduled to start on Monday 10 May 2004 and to be of three weeks duration. It can accommodate a maximum of ten candidates. If you are interested in taking part please contact Dr Richard King at Reading University (tel: +44(0)118 9318711; e-mail: R.D.King@reading.ac.uk) or Jack Knights, BSF Hon. Treasurer, (e-mail: jacknights@aol.com). |
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13th June The introductory presentation was given by Prof. Anthony Blake of Firmenich who gave a brief history of the F&F business and came right up to date describing techniques for the measurement of aromatic components in the airspace of the nostril and the discovery that the senses of taste and smell both work more efficiently when there is a flux present. Slow release methods such as micro-encapsulation provide such a flux and this leads to a more prolonged taste sensation in the mouth. This was followed by Mark Birthwhistle and Andy Brunton of AM Todd & Co. who gave an overview of mint and mint oil production. Descriptions, composition and odour profiles of various mint types were discussed combined with areas of production and annual volumes. Comparison of American oils with Indian and Chinese material was made on both a cost and quality basis. Taking the format of an interview Albert Baxter (Baxter Associates) and Robert Penn (Mane) gave a very entertaining presentation on tobacco products. They concentrated primarily on new developments in delivery systems aimed at reducing tar, increasing flavour and making smoking less offensive to non -smokers. This was linked with the various methods used for actually flavouring cigarettes not only the tobacco itself but also via the papers and filters. The morning session was completed by Austen McRoberts of Market Refreshment Inc. who was outlining the marketing mans viewpoint of bringing a new flavour concept, particularly in the soft drinks sector, to the market place. The target customer, the desired image of the product and the overall marketing plans were highlighted as areas which where particularly important to ensure the product was a success. The afternoon session was led off by Alan Lacey of Sainsburys who presented the case for the supermarkets and how supermarkets deal with specific food issues such as the GMO situation and BSE. There main aim is to ensure that the customer is fully informed and this is achieved by liaising with suppliers and communicating closely with customers and the media. He also discussed supplier auditing and how ethical treatment per se is assuming increasing importance. Joy Hardinge of Quest then gave an update on EU flavour legislation. Within the EU any such legislation takes many years of hard work and negotiation prior to becoming law and the flavour legislation is no different. However progress is being made, particularly on the permitted substances list, and it is likely that some widely used flavouring materials may be banned altogether or at least come under much tighter regulation. Finally, Dr Heini Menzi of Givaudan presented a paper on flavour R&D. Biased toward natural materials he began by looking at traditional extraction methods for natural oils and aroma chemicals coming up to date with super critical CO2 extraction. Enzymatic routes to certain materials were also discussed for example the production of nat. t-2-hexenal from linolenic acid and finally using enzymes on natural feedstocks to break these down into their constituent amino acids, sugars and nucleotides. These could then be used in Maillard type reactions. |
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The visit on to the Botanix facility at Paddock Wood on Thursday 4 July was attended by 60 BSF members.
After a buffet lunch the delegates were taken by coaches on a tour of several Kent farms where raw materials were grown specifically for Botanix production. This included a traditional Kentish hop garden and experimental crops including several cultivars of lavender, rosemary and English chamomile. The BSF wishes to thank Botanix Ltd for their hospitality and for
making this visit so |
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4th
December The 2002 Christmas lecture was given by Rhona Wells, President of the British Society of Perfumers, and she took Frankincense as the theme of her presentation.
Rhona went on to say that in this region Frankincense is used not only for burning as incense, especially during religious ceremonies, but also as a mouth freshener. In the fragrance industry she told the audience that it is used as a key base ingredient in its own right, for example in "Amourage", and also as a fixative. However, prior to use in such applications it must be purified, this being achieved either by distillation or solvent extraction. Frankincense she told us can also be use medicinally, primarily as a relaxant but also as an anti-inflammatory. |
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The
emphasis in the first two weeks was on practically getting to know
and recognise the utility of some eighty nature identical raw materials
of importance in flavour creation. The delegates were expected to
use the knowledge gained to create simple fruit flavourings and
to demonstrate them in simple applications. In addition lectures
were provided on flavour chemistry, analysis, delivery systems and
practical flavour processing.
The
day started with a welcome and presentation by Dr Ray Marriott and
his colleagues on the company history and its involvement in hop
processing. He outlined their diversification into the production
of essential oils from English grown raw materials. He indicated
that the company had specified with local farmers which crops and
which cultivars they wanted grown. The delegates were taken on a
tour of the factory and laboratories where the processing innovation
that had been introduced by the company were explained.
Rhona explained
that Frankincense, or Olibanum as it is more commonly known to our
colleagues in the fragrance industry, is the resinous exudite of
the Boswellia Sacra, a small scrubby tree found mainly in Oman,
and is one of the historical reasons for the riches associated with
the Middle East. The crude material is obtained by "tapping"
the tree and allowing the sap to harden for approximately 24 hours
prior to harvesting. In any given season a tree will normally be
cut three times during the 3-4 week harvesting period, the highest
quality product being obtained from the third tapping. As can be
imagined this is an incredibly labour intensive operation and consequently
the annual production is only in the order of 5000 tonnes