Aroma Preserver
Flavourtech integrated extraction system
By Thomas Schmid
Maintaining full aroma and taste hinges on two crucial aspects: time and temperature. Older technologies caused a considerable loss of “aroma carriers,” making solubles and ready to drink (RTD) beverages taste flat and uninspiring.
Flavourtech revolutionized the manufacture of soluble and RTD coffee and tea products by developing several patented technologies that preserve the full aroma and taste of the beverage, making it – to the farthest extent possible – just as good as freshly brewed.
The Australian company, founded in 1987, designed the rotating disc column, which is primarily deployed for the extraction of solubles from coffee. Residence time of the introduced liquid can be kept to only 20 minutes, while in other methods the brew may spend two hours and longer in the extractor.
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The use of the rotating disc column allows the desirable aroma to be firstly captured in the spinning cone column technology protecting it from damage that occurs during high temperature extraction.
Using Flavourtech’s integrated extraction system combines powerful evaporation and extraction with sophisticated aroma recovery and later re-introduction in a single line set-up. The secret in gaining a full-tasting beverage lies in extracting the aroma and flavor carriers as early in the process as possible, according to Flavourtech’s sales and marketing director Leon Skaliotis.
The company’s solutions can be used for pretty much any modern-day coffee or tea product, be it 3-in-1 sachets, pods, conventional instant coffee or tea, even cold brews, and of course canned and bag-in-box beverages of any sort and description, he explains.
When manufacturing RTDs, the residence time spent by the brew in such systems can be several minutes, which in combination with the high pasteurization temperatures deployed wreaks havoc on polyphenols and other aroma carriers. By comparison, Flavourtech’s spinning cone column works at low temperatures and cuts residence time down to 25 seconds, thus keeping the beverage’s natural flavor and aroma profile largely intact.
“The customer today demands a full-flavored beverage that tastes just as good as at home. People will continue to look for the genuine taste experience and there is no telling what will be next,” Skaliotis said.
CORRECTION: Flavourtech was founded in 1987 and its spinning cone column cuts residence time to 25 seconds. These facts were incorrectly reported in a previous version.