HealthTech Bio Actives (HTBA), the leading innovator of polyphenols and vitamin B12 for health and nutrition, today welcomes the publication of the no safety concern opinion on naringenin as a flavouring substance by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was based on the company’s scientific dossier.
Versatile, powerful and natural: naringenin as a taste modifier
Naringenin is naturally occurring in citrus fruits and produced by HTBA through a natural and proprietary process. A versatile and powerful natural flavouring, it offers taste-modifying properties.
In 2010, following stevia regulatory approvals, there was a significant need for natural taste modifiers. This led HTBA to start a sensorial screening program of its polyphenol portfolio proving naringenin as one of the most versatile taste modifiers for food and beverage applications. Ever since, HTBA has been successfully developing applications in soft drinks, dairy products, proteins and fortified foods.
Tom D’hoore, Chief Commercial Officer at HTBA comments: “We are delighted with EFSA’s no safety concern scientific opinion, which represents a true breakthrough after many years of hard work. Based on EFSA’s positive opinion, our European customers will soon be able to use our naringenin to modulate taste in their products and gain consumer acceptance, while labelling the ingredient as a natural flavour, once it is officially included in the Food Flavouring Regulation.”
HTBA plays a pioneering role
HTBA’s expertise in polyphenols as flavouring substances spans more than 30 years over five continents. The current EFSA opinion is the result of eight years of regulatory work and extensive safety studies with naringenin. Over the last ten years, HTBA has pioneered regulatory approvals for naringenin as a flavouring substance in the US (FEMA), Latin America, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
