Firmenich has launched FreshSlice, a proprietary, all-natural collection of next-generation citrus oils for flavors. According to the Swiss flavor house, FreshSlice delivers unique freshness, juiciness and true-to-fruit taste at a competitive cost. 

“Citrus oils are important to citrus flavor formulation and come with technical challenges requiring specific expertise to solve solubility or stability while keeping the freshness, juiciness and true-to-fruit taste,” Sonia Botta, vice president for citrus, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Pandemic drives thirst for citrus
“We know from our COVID Human Insights Change Lenz surveys that people associate citrus flavors with happiness more so than any other flavor. In fact, 44 percent of consumers surveyed indicated they prefer citrus flavors to lift their spirits and make them feel happy.”

Commenting on how the pandemic has put a more significant focus on immunity-enhancing ingredients, Botta says the same studies have shown that intentionally eating foods with immune systems benefits from the top consumer F&B behavior impacts COVID-19.

“We have an impressive and ever-growing number of natural raw material sourcing partnerships across the globe, which coupled with strong internal Ingredient production capabilities across the world, are allowing us to answer this growing demand sustainably and securely,” she outlines. 

“Through our nutrition program, we are focusing on immunity-boosters like botanical extracts and prebiotic fibers,” Botta adds. 

Botta says she expects to see more in healthy and natural beverages in general, such as flavored and infused waters in terms of application innovation, with the goal being to satisfy consumer thirst for fresh, healthy and clean attributes. 

Calls for authenticity
“Firmenich’s sustained investment in innovation produced high-performance technologies like Durarome and Flexarome, well known in the industry for delivering superior taste experiences,” says Amaury Roquette, vice president Naturals Platform, Creation, Portfolio.

Building on the strong consumer demand for clean label and authenticity, FreshSlice contains no solvent and is highly concentrated, offering improved taste and cost-in-use advantages. 

FreshSlice also delivers improved water solubility, which creates superior clarity in sparkling beverages and seltzers. 

FreshSlice citrus oils are created using a mild, low thermal extraction technique, thereby minimizing by-products that can affect many taste profiles.

“Consumers are becoming highly discerning in their preferences, opting for more authenticity and complexity in citrus profiles,” explains Ari Gastman, principal global citrus flavorist at Firmenich. 

FreshSlice is a proprietary, all-natural collection of next-generation citrus oils for flavors.“Flavors created with FreshSlice taste juicier and fresher with brighter aromatics and true-to-fruit nuances of peel and fruit flesh notes, all of which are pleasing to the taste palate.”

Firmenich’s CiTRUST, a team of global citrus flavor experts, can create authentic, clean label flavors with FreshSlice to meet consumers’ needs in the world.

Citrus flavors have been in the spotlight more so since the pandemic, thanks to their immunity-enhancing claims. 

Moreover, Firmenich also crowned yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit as one of its flavors for 2021. 

Best in class?
“The launch of FreshSlice is a significant achievement within our best-in-class citrus program,” says Botta.

“Together with our global citrus network of flavorists, application specialists, sensory and consumer insights and knowledgeable regional business teams, we can deliver world-class winning solutions to meet our customer’s needs and suit their consumer’s tastes.”