Global chefs can do without the chicken

It tastes like chicken, but it has never seen one. A global team of chefs has created a range of chicken flavours to be used in food applications. The natural chicken flavours are to be launched by International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. (IFF) and are based on culinary benchmarks created by a global team of research chefs.

The new products may be used in such applications as soups, sauces, bouillons, gravies, marinades, noodles, quick-service foods and frozen foods. They provide chicken profiles such as boiled white meat, boiled dark meat, skin, roasted and grilled.

"Our extensive consumer research conducted in major markets across the globe told us that chicken is a nearly universal comfort food and that consumers want authentic, familiar chicken tastes and aromas created by cooking techniques they know and love," said Jos Muilwijk, head of global savoury category management for IFF.

"Spices and herbs add interest and regional character, but the true essence of chicken should shine through," he adds. To obtain the flavours the chefs bought a selection of the world's finest chicken, raised on different diets and in a variety of habitats. They cooked the chicken in different ways; open pan, slow cook, high pressure pan and more without any seasonings, just a pinch of salt.

This way they found the target flavour profiles for the flavour people to develop a new range, which were tested by sensory panels around the globe. "These chicken profiles can be easily blended with ingredients specific to any locality or cuisine, enabling the creation of signature notes for specific product brands," Muilwijk said.

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