PRESS RELEASES
Symrise Presents the Refreshing Taste of Citrus at Gulfood 2012
• Universally popular flavor in the region
• Insights into consumers’ wishes fuels fresh taste perspectives
• naturally citrus!® – one of the core taste competences at Symrise
Gulfood 2012 showcases developments in the food industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This year, the trade show in Dubai will open its doors from February 19–22. Symrise will join exhibitors from around the world and present a selection of popular flavors for beverages, through sweets and confectionery, to savory applications.
Citrus enjoys widespread popularity throughout MENA. This has been shown in many surveys and consumer studies. The reason: The countries of the Middle East and North Africa, like Symrise, have a long history with and a natural connection to citrus. People from the region have helped to spread citrus all over the world. Generations of Arab farmers developed the agricultural techniques required to successfully cultivate citrus crops and have refined these ever since. Even early on they used natural citrus extracts as a fragrance. Arab travelers and traders brought citrus to Spain, Italy and then to the New World of North and South America, where the majority of the world’s citrus fruits now grow.
Today, consumers in MENA still frequently turn to food products and beverages containing citrus. To satisfy these customer and consumer needs, Symrise is focusing on two pillars: the know-how and experience of its regional staff and the use of intelligent technology. Food scientists and technologists are developing efficient processes to produce high-quality flavors with the desired sensory characteristics.
“Consumers here are used to and enjoy the taste of freshly picked fruits. That is why we believe that they are sure to love the ‘fresh from the tree’ flavors from Symrise. Our food scientists and technologists use all their expertise to recreate these flavors and to optimize their use in a variety of different products,” explains Tamer Abwini, Sales Manager at Symrise.
Patented Technologies for the Production of Beverages
To deliver the full flavor of citrus fruits, Symrise has developed multiconcentrated citrus oils (MC Oils). They are the result of the company’s innovation efforts coordinated under the naturally citrus!® brand. Their advantages include long-lasting stability, high solubility and potential for mixing in both solids and liquids and optimized sensory characteristics.
Together, these attributes yield a more authentic “freshly squeezed” flavor profile based on an efficient and environmentally friendly process. Beyond this, these multiconcentrated flavors offer further benefits. They allow for better encapsulation which leads to enhanced stability and flavor release. Symrise offers various encapsulation technologies for a variety of particle sizes and flavor release profiles. In the area of instant beverages, in particular, technologies such as Evodry® and Evoglass® produce high-value results.
Both technologies – multiconcentration and encapsulation – deliver important components for Symrise citrus applications. As, for instance, in an array of beverages which are awaiting sampling by visitors at the company’s booth at Gulfood. 60,000 tons of oranges are harvested each year to meet the global demand – many of them in the so called citrus belt in Latin America. There, at its Sorocaba-based Global Citrus Competence Centre in Brazil, Symrise captures its fresh flavor.
“Symrise has come to Gulfood to showcase its expertise in naturally citrus!® flavors,” explains Erlon Pereira, Global Competence Director – Citrus at Symrise. “Our Citrus Center in Sorocaba gives us a strategic edge as it is located in the heart of the Latin American citrus belt. Here we produce citrus oils that perfectly match the taste preferences of consumers in the Middle East and North Africa. Based on thorough research and innovation, we continuously strive to develop our range of citrus flavors within our naturally citrus!® brand, so that we can offer great taste at the right cost.”
Also on the menu is naturally flavored bergamot tea – perhaps better known as Earl Grey. At Gulfood 2012, Symrise is showcasing its expertise in this field: Traditional, Cologne, Russian, Lemon, Persian and Reggio. They can be combined according to customer specifications to create the desired bergamot flavor.
Symrise will present its citrus concepts and other taste solutions for the regional market at Sheikh Saeed hall 3, booth S3-A2.
Press contact:
Bernhard Kott
Phone: +49 (0)5531 90-1721
E-mail: bernhard.kott@symrise.com
