October 25, 2007

Danisco, Firmenich on taste-texture partnership

Danish food group Danisco and French chemical manufacturer Firmenich will venture on January 1, 2008 to create new innovations in the field of taste and texture.

Rumours of a partnership between the two firms were made when Firmenich acquired Danisco's flavourings division for DKK 3.36 billion (0.45 billion euros, US$642.97 million) earlier this year. The buyout, which covers development in two all-important areas of sensory quality, only became clear when Firmenich published its annual report last week.

The partnership will take effect on January 1 2008 and it will immediately focus on the better understanding of interaction of taste and texture ingredients with other elements of the food matrix for healthier food choices.

Crucially, research has indicated that consumers are prepared to try healthier variants of favourite foods that are typically high in fat, sugar or salt - as long as there is no impact on enjoyment.

This means that keeping taste and mouthfeel authentic, while reducing or eliminating the ingredients that help generate these, is a major technical challenge for the food industry.

Ole Sogaard, chief sales and application officer at Danisco said the arrangement will "provide complete solutions while maintaining flexibility for our customers".

On the other hand, Don Hartman, corporate vice president of Firmenich's flavours division, said he expects the partnership "to be a groundbreaking development for the industry and one that will set a pioneering direction¡­. We hope to build a new and improved model for the future."

In addition to the joint development work, Danisco will also act as a sales agent for Firmenich in some untapped markets.