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T.Hasegawa’s US subsidiary has launched two new technologies – Hasearoma and ChefAroma – into the North American market. The new flavour-enhancing technologies were created to aid in the production of authentic-tasting F&B products. Haseroma is a proprietary research and enhancement technology that is said to create authentic sweet and savoury flavours that reproduce the ‘first bite’ sensation of experiencing a certain food for the first time. The company says that Hasearoma enables a higher level of specificity than other compounded flavours – for example, it can “reproduce the specific flavour profile of an Alphonso mango or Ataulfo mango, a white peach or golden jubilee peach,” as opposed to “many brands in the past may have opted for a basic mango or peach flavour in product development”. With Hasearoma, T.Hasegawa is able to replicate distinct depth of flavour achieved through cooking applications, “such as refining an onion jam to taste caramelised instead of sauteed” or “differentiating between the flavour of chicken thigh or chicken breast versus chicken skin,” without the use of any animal products. Austin Luft, senior flavourist at T. Hasegawa USA, said: “With the immense growth of vegetarian and vegan diets in North America, savoury flavour technology like Hasearoma will make a positive impact in coming years, allowing us to refine and replicate the authentic flavours of specific cuts and types of meats like chicken, duck and wagyu beef”. Hasearoma isolates specific flavour molecules within foods and beverages and concentrates these molecules to add depth of flavour, long-lasting mouthfeel and authentic aroma. The process for developing a new flavour with Hasearoma can take up to 12 months. Luft added: “Our applications team is hard at work discovering new sweet and savoury applications for Hasearoma. Currently, our most popular applications are in snacks and beverages, but the possibilities are endless and we will be working with customers to discover more opportunities from sports nutrition, energy bars, soups, prepared meals and more.” ChefAroma is a new technology designed to deliver chef-inspired flavours in less time, providing a complex flavour that is “true to culinary recipes”. ChefAroma is targeted for foodservice applications and uses reaction flavour technology and real food ingredients such as butter, onion and wine to add complexity and intensity to foods. T.Hasegawa says that ChefAroma can be added as a base for soups and other dishes to instantly deliver the distinct taste of caramelised onions. Available in four different flavours – Wine Butter, French Onion, Butter Onion and Mirepoix – ChefAroma can reduce costs and delivers quality flavour at scale in soup bases, glazes, broths and condiments. ChefAroma was initially developed by T. Hasegawa in Japan and refined by the US subsidiary for introduction in the Western market. Luft commented: “We’re only just beginning to realise the broad possibilities of ChefAroma in foodservice applications. This technology is incredibly valuable to restaurant chefs because it can fast-track the process of creating mother sauces with minimal prep time and a higher level of flavour intensity – optimising cost, improving quality and inspiring versatility.”