Recently brought to my attention, here is a fascinating summary of the perception of artificial flavourings, published by the BBC last year.

My colleague Sam sent me this interesting article, as she was intrigued by how the origin of flavouring can impact consumer perceptions, with some ‘artificial’ flavours possibly originating from less frequently consumed varieties of foods we know and love.  The author Chris Baraniuk uses banana flavourings to great effect, highlighting how sensory and flavour chemistry can be used to trick consumer perceptions.  On his journey through flavour he steps into the world of the full sensory experience and cross-modal interaction with Charles Spence, and even flavour encapsulation, which provides such hope for the food industry to deliver key flavours and product attributes, albeit with varying levels of success at this early stage.

Thank you Sam for sending me this article.  It summarises nicely the challenges faced by the food and drinks industry to deliver flavoursome, natural tasting foods.  This is particularly important for current FMCG trends, as shown by the 2015 Insights Show, highlighting how consumers are demanding more and more different and exciting flavour options.