{"id":300967,"date":"2019-08-13T15:04:17","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T18:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/?p=300967"},"modified":"2019-08-13T15:45:32","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T18:45:32","slug":"natural-flavor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/natural-flavor\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural flavor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shifts in consumer eating habits and regulatory developments are driving food and beverage companies to devote increasing effort to innovation. In 2018, food-industry players in Brazil undertook a collective commitment to the Ministry of Health to reduce sugar content in their products by 2022. The commitment followed similar initiatives in recent years to reduce sodium and trans fats\u2014next in line are total fats. There is also growing demand from consumers themselves for food products that are more natural and healthy.<\/p>\n

Developing ingredients that can support the food industry in responding to emerging consumer demands is therefore high on the research agenda at Duas Rodas, one of Brazil\u2019s leading producers of flavorings, extracts, condiments, and additives for food and beverage manufacturers. Based in Jaragu\u00e1 do Sul, Santa Catarina, in southeastern Brazil, the company invests at least 5% of its annual revenues\u2014which in 2018 came to R$804 million\u2014in research and development (R&D).<\/p>\n

Company <\/strong>Duas Rodas
\nJaragu\u00e1 do Sul (SC)
\nIndustry <\/strong>
\nFood & beverage
\nR&D centers<\/strong>
\nJaragu\u00e1 do Sul (SC) and S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo (SP)
\nN\u00ba of researchers<\/strong>
\n200
\nMain products<\/strong>
\nIngredients for the food and beverage industry, including flavorings, extracts, condiments, additives, and products for ice-cream and confectionery-making<\/div>\n

Duas Rodas derived approximately 18% of its revenues last year from newly developed products. The company\u2019s innovation efforts were recently recognized in a survey by Strategy&, the strategy consulting arm of global audit firm PwC, which ranked Duas Rodas as Brazil\u2019s 2nd<\/sup> most innovative company in the food and beverage industry, behind only Ambev, and the 48th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\n

The survey, a collaboration with the National Association for Research and Development of Innovative Companies (ANPEI), found that the food and beverage industry is one of the least innovative industries in Brazil, ranking only 16th<\/sup> out of 21 covered industries.<\/p>\n

Among Duas Rodas\u2019 recent product launches is T-Sweet, a plant-based flavoring that creates a milder aftertaste in food products with reduced sugar content. Other recent food-product launches include NaLess, which gives biscuits, snacks, seasonings, and processed meats a salty flavor in replacement of sodium, and FatLess, a solution to replace fat in sandwich cookies.<\/p>\n

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Duas Rodas<\/span><\/a> A pilot-scale sausage plantDuas Rodas<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Sugar, fat, and sodium (salt) are all regarded as nutritional villains, as excessive intake can lead to health problems such high blood pressure and high cholesterol, increasing risk for heart disease, explains Ant\u00f4nio Carlos Figueiredo Gon\u00e7alves, head of innovation and technology at Duas Rodas. But these ingredients are not only essential for flavor, but also have functional properties that are difficult to replace. Bread doughs and cake batters, for example, will not rise as well without fat. Fat imparts softness, and sodium acts as a preservative. Sugar plays an important role in fermentation, preservation, texture, and color. \u201cThe challenge is developing ingredients that perform the same functions, but are more health-friendly,\u201d says Figueiredo Gon\u00e7alves.<\/p>\n

Duas Rodas CEO Leonardo Fausto Zipf says current macro consumer trends point to rising demand for solutions that can satisfy two conflicting consumer needs: health and indulgence. \u201cIndulgence\u201d is a term used in the industry to refer to food that is tasty and consumed for pleasure. \u201cFood products need flavor to satisfy indulgence needs, as flavor is the primary factor driving repurchase decisions,\u201d says Zipf. \u201cOur focus is on providing ingredients offering both.\u201d<\/p>\n

With nearly a century behind it, Duas Rodas was founded in 1925 by two German immigrants: Rudolph Hufen\u00fcssler, a chemist, and his wife, Hildegard Hufen\u00fcssler, a physicist. Together, they built a factory in Jaragu\u00e1 do Sul to produce natural essences and extracts. The Hufen\u00fcsslers immigrated to Brazil from Mainz, a city near Frankfurt\u2014the company takes its name, which in English translates as \u201cTwo Wheels,\u201d from the twin wheels of the city\u2019s coat of arms.<\/p>\n

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Duas Rodas<\/span><\/a> A strawberry sample prepared for chromatography testingDuas Rodas<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In addition to its main plant in Santa Catarina, the company has two other factories in Brazil\u2014in Est\u00e2ncia, a city in the Northeast, and S\u00e3o Bernardo do Campo, in Greater S\u00e3o Paulo\u2014and four plants in broader Latin America: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Duas Rodas has a workforce of 1,600 people, mostly (1,374) in Brazil. The company markets products to 10,000 customers in 30 countries, with exports accounting for 15% of revenues.<\/p>\n

Duas Rodas\u2019 R&D capabilities include an Innovation Center and R&D Center in Jaragu\u00e1 do Sul, and a Technology and Innovation Center built in 2018 adjacent to the plant in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2014in an investment of R$5 million. Each of its other plants has its own R&D laboratory. In all, Duas Rodas employs 200 researchers and specialists, mostly food engineers, chemical engineers, and nutritionists. Of its total research staff, 10% have either a master\u2019s degree or a PhD.<\/p>\n

The innovation process, however, is not confined to the company\u2019s laboratories and research facilities. Duas Rodas also encourages staff engagement in developing new solutions through innovation committees, which bring together management personnel from across the organization for cross-functional discussions.<\/p>\n

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Duas Rodas<\/span><\/a> A researcher performing tests on a dairy beverage containing the new T-Sweet flavoringDuas Rodas<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In 2016, the company created an open-innovation platform, called Planta<\/em>, to connect food manufacturers, customers, food and nutrition professionals, university students, and consumers in collaborative innovation programs. The platform currently has 18,000 connected users and a portfolio of more than 750 ideas generated to date. The platform will be expanded this year into a startup acceleration center.<\/p>\n

A smoothie product recently added to the company\u2019s product range built on an idea submitted through the Planta<\/em> platform. In the food processing industry, the new product is also used to produce dairy products, such as yogurts. Conventional smoothie products are marketed in liquid form; Duas Rodas\u2019 new product is sold as a powder that can be prepared into a smoothie beverage by simply adding water. The new format promises to streamline product transportation, storage, and handling.<\/p>\n

As part of the company\u2019s open innovation strategy, Duas Rodas set up an innovation space called Sala Ouvir<\/em> (\u201cListening Room\u201d) six months ago at Faculdade Senai Jaragu\u00e1 do Sul, a university run by the National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI) and the Santa Catarina Industry Federation (FIESC). The space is used to host debates, presentations, and meetings. \u201cWe created this space to bring industry and academia closer together in fostering innovation,\u201d says Ant\u00f4nio Carlos Figueiredo Gon\u00e7alves.<\/p>\n

Duas Rodas has been actively engaged in collaborations with academia for several years now, he says. One recent project involved the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and Universidade Vale do Itaja\u00ed (UNIVALI). The collaboration developed a new range of natural dehydrated compounds made from acerola cherries and botanical extracts for use in meat products such as salami and sausages. The ingredient is a natural preservative with antioxidant properties.<\/p>\n\n \n \n \n <\/picture>\n

Longer shelf life<\/strong>
\n\u201cLaboratory tests have shown that the new compounds can increase shelf life by as much as two months,\u201d says biochemist Pedro Luiz Manique Barreto, a professor at UFSC. He led the team of five food-science students that developed the project. Two months means a roughly twofold increase for these types of products, which typically come with a shelf life of two months. Natural ingredients like these are helping the food industry to respond to increasing demand for healthier products, says Barreto.<\/p>\n

Growing consumer demand for vegetable protein is another challenge that the R&D team is currently working to address. \u201cRecent research shows that a quarter of Brazilians are looking to eliminate animal protein from their diet either entirely or at least a few meals a week,\u201d notes Gon\u00e7alves.<\/p>\n

Soybeans, peas, and chickpeas are high in both protein and nutritional value, providing a natural substitute for meat and milk. The problem, explains Gon\u00e7alves, is that these foods are less pleasant in flavor, smell, and texture. \u201cOur task is to create ingredients that impart the sensory properties of meat and milk and that are able to mask the taste and odor of vegetable protein,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Duas Rodas launched a strategic plan in 2015 by which it aims to achieve 10% annual growth by 2020. The company is also working to expand its presence in global markets by either acquiring small competitors or building greenfield manufacturing sites. Company management is currently focused on opportunities in the US, Europe, and Asia. \u201cWe\u2019re on a path to becoming an increasingly global company,\u201d says Figueiredo Gon\u00e7alves. \u201cOur goal is to derive 20% of our revenues from outside Brazil by 2020, and 30% by 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Duas Rodas, in southern Brazil, is investing to develop food ingredients that are responsive to emerging consumer demands","protected":false},"author":538,"featured_media":300968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1567],"tags":[259,251],"coauthors":[1346],"class_list":["post-300967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-research-en","tag-chemistry","tag-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/538"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300967"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":301310,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300967\/revisions\/301310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300967"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=300967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}