2026 3+4

Conflicting studies on artificial sweeteners are fuelling fresh debate across food and drink, as health risks, regulation and reformulation collide worldwide.

Whenever strawberry season arrives, you might see unfamiliar varieties in stores. Find out the differences before you choose between red and white strawberries.

The image of cream sherry is that of your gran’s favourite tipple, a drink from a bygone era. Is it time for a makeover?

The Society of Flavor Chemists requires flavorists to fully understand approximately two dozen reactions and processes that can occur in flavor systems. Flavorists must be able to control these reactions or physical processes to enhance flavor or improve its stability and shelf life. Volatilization is one of the physical processes included among these two dozen reactions and processes. Introduction Volatilization is the process by which flavor molecules escape from a product into the air, all

Michigan State University researcher Emily Mayhew researched the role that aroma plays in determining the sweetness of honey.

A triple threat of pollution, extinction and warming temperatures is altering the way the planet smells. Scientists are only beginning to understand the stakes for humans

Scientists have achieved the unthinkable by stabilizing a highly reactive molecule in water, confirming a decades-old theory about vitamin B1’s role in the body. The breakthrough not only solves a scientific mystery but could revolutionize greener chemical manufacturing.

Some cats will suddenly refuse to touch brands of cat food that they have eaten for years. Changing the way the food smells might solve the problem

Protein soda is a beverage trend that brings protein into the mainstream, moving beyond gym-focused shakes to appeal to a broader audience seeking both refreshment and health benefits.

Critics said the agency skipped critical assessments when approving beetroot red and expanding uses for spirulina extract.

Art historian Clara Muller discusses the role of frankincense and the trees that produce it in the history of art.

Your brain might be quietly deciding what tastes good before you even take a sip. Researchers found that simply changing what people thought they were drinking—sugar or artificial sweetener—could dramatically shift how much they enjoyed it. When participants believed a drink had artificial sweeteners, real sugar tasted less enjoyable, but when they expected sugar, even artificially sweetened drinks became more pleasurable.

From where the Camellia sinensis bush is grown to whether the leaves are withered or fermented, much can influence the popular drink’s molecular and flavor profile

Chronic inflammation often works quietly in the background but can fuel serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. New research reveals that everyday plant compounds—like menthol from mint, cineole from eucalyptus, and capsaicin from chili peppers—can team up inside immune cells to dramatically boost their anti-inflammatory power. While individual compounds showed modest effects, certain combinations amplified results hundreds of times over by activating different cellular pathways at once.

A researcher examines the bad press surrounding absinthe which led to its ban in France in 1915, while drawing parallels with more recent, ‘scathing’ examples of scapegoating and social control.

Everyone's idea of the perfect cup of coffee is different. Whether you have yours black, with a splash of milk or extra sweet, you like it your way. But is there a universal law that governs how that flavor gets into your cup? According to new research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, part of the answer lies in the permeability of the puck, the name for the bed of tightly packed coffee grains through which water passes under high pressure.

A plant uses a rare scent to guide its pollinator to male flowers first and to female flowers later, finds a study led by Kobe University. The work, appearing in Current Biology, uncovers a precise chemical system that not only keeps this partnership specific but also helps ensure it remains beneficial to both parties.

Truffles are luxurious culinary fungi owing to their distinctive aroma, rarity and extremely short shelf-life. The unique volatile profile largely det…

Dynamic interactions among aroma compounds, especially odorant masking, constitute key determinants of the intricate flavor profiles of thermally processed foods. However, the molecular- and receptor-level mechanisms governing mutual odor suppression remain largely unclear. This study investigated the reciprocal sensory masking between 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and l-menthol via a systematic sensory evaluation. Olfactory receptor screening identified OR5K1 as the responsive receptor for 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (EC50 = 27.67 ± 2.02 μmol/L) and OR2W1 as the functional receptor for l-menthol (EC50 = 22.69 ± 3.85 μmol/L). Consistently, quantitative cellular response assays further validated that 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and l-menthol exert mutual inhibitory effects on their respective receptors, as evidenced by the significant inhibition of receptor signaling. Moreover, molecular modeling predicted that 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and l-menthol competitively occupy the same orthosteric pocket via analogous binding conformations. These results provide novel receptor-level insights into odorant inhibitory effects, connecting sensory perception to molecular recognition, and deepen the mechanistic understanding of flavor perception.

That foul odour wafting your way can do more than make you gag – it could also affect your body and mind.

What will the future world of GLP-1 drugs look like? From Eli Lilly's Foundayo to triple-strength Wegovy, discover the next-generation contenders that will shape food and drink innovation.

As trends go viral, flavor development timelines are being put to the test.

Bourbon whiskey production has increased steadily in recent years, creating a growing need for consistent and reproducible sensory quality in training and evaluation contexts. This work in progress focuses on the selection and organization of key bourbon aroma markers for use with an existing portable scent generation device, aiming to reproduce style-relevant bourbon aroma profiles in a controlled and repeatable manner. The device operates using six peristaltic pumps, with five assigned to grouped aroma domains and one dedicated to purge cycles to minimize residual carryover between presentations. Because practical olfactory displays for immersive systems are typically limited to a small number of independent channels, the bourbon aroma space is consolidated into five representative groups: Oak-Vanilla, Caramel-Toffee, Fruity Esters, Spice-Herb, and Floral-Honey. Initial proportional profiles are defined for high corn, wheated, and high rye bourbons to support style-specific aroma reproduction. Calibration and validation will be conducted using trained sensory panels to assess perceptual fidelity and guide.

Kami Newton is a flavour expert, sensory analyst, and founder of Sensory Advantage, whose career took him from wine shelves at Oddbins to leading tasting pan...

Despite the critical role of aroma interactions in shaping food flavor, their molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, binary interactions between f…

The “ripe” note is one of the core flavor attributes that the Society of Flavor Chemists expects all certified flavorists to understand and control. Mastery of this note is essential for accurately formulating fruit flavors such as mango, apple, and strawberry, where the perception of ripeness plays a critical role in overall flavor authenticity and quality. In flavor science, a “ripe” note refers to the sensory impression associated with a fruit (or plant-derived material) at optimal maturity,