T. Hasegawa USA Introduces New Boostract Natural Flavor Modifier

California-based company aims to revolutionize how consumers experience food and beverage products with natural modifier that enhances flavor, amplifies taste characteristics and improves "Kokumi" mouthfeel effect.

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T. Hasegawa USA, Inc.

Feb 16, 2021, 07:02 ET

CERRITOS, Calif., Feb. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. subsidiary of one of the world's top flavor & fragrance development companies is on a mission to unlock the flavor and taste potential in a broad range of food and beverage products across North America.

This week, T. Hasegawa USA introduced its new natural flavor modifier Boostract^™ to the North American market. This innovative new technology aims to revolutionize the way consumers experience food and beverages by adding or enhancing the effect of kokumi (which translates to "rich taste" in Japanese). Kokumi increases the richness of taste while maintaining balance between different flavors for a more satisfying experience in foods and beverages.

Developed over a two-year period as an exclusive technology by T. Hasegawa, Boostract solves a recurring challenge that many of the world's top food and beverage brands face: delivering a consistent taste experience to consumers. The goal is ensuring the sensations of flavor, taste and characteristics are true to the original product recipe, which often presents a major problem during production.

"The moment a food is harvested or produced, it typically begins declining in taste, so an extra flavor boost is required to better define a delicate flavor note," explained T. Hasegawa's VP of research & development, Jim Yang. "Often the nuances of flavor complexity are lost during large scale production, so Boostract enables us to deliver a better flavor and taste experience for our customers and ensure consistency in their products."

In addition to enhancing the kokumi effect and improving flavor, Boostract is an effective masking agent, eliminating unwanted flavor notes in confectionary products and 'functional gummies' while boosting the desired flavors in protein bars, ice cream and more.

Boostract also reinforces T. Hasegawa's leadership in the sports nutrition and coffee/tea categories because the product can both mask bitter flavors and amplify the mouthfeel inherent in these beverage products. The Boostract flavor modifier can also boost the sweet characteristics of fruit notes, such as making citrus taste fresher, or highlighting the distinct flavor notes of an exotic tropical fruit in beverages.

Boostract is developed through three different mechanisms utilized by T. Hasegawa, including extraction, enzyme and thermal reaction technology. These mechanisms are used alone, or in various combinations, depending on the food or beverage product application. The end result is a clean-labelled natural product that is not yeast-based like other flavor modifiers and can even be organic certifiable in the future.

"We are excited to offer this innovative flavor modifier to the North American market, after a long development period," added Yang. "T. Hasegawa is the leader in this technology and our customers are already giving us great feedback and planning future products to include Boostract."

T. Hasegawa's Boostract flavor modifier is currently available in dairy and non-dairy versions (in both liquid and powder form), with a tomato-based variation adding to the lineup soon. Additional Boostract varieties are currently in development, including Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea and Seafood.

For more information on T. Hasegawa's Boostract natural flavor modifier, visit www.thasegawa.com/boostract.

About T. Hasegawa USA, Inc.
For more than a century, T. Hasegawa has made 'Life Taste Better' through custom flavors and fragrances developed for the world's top food and beverage brands. T. Hasegawa is recognized around the world for its innovation and product differentiation, which builds our clients' product flavor to unparalleled standards. Through a passion for culinary creation and a strong faith in the power of aroma and taste, T. Hasegawa's flavor experts work to improve the way we experience food and beverages. Learn more at www.thasegawa.com.

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SOURCE T. Hasegawa USA, Inc.