Pepsico enters research agreement with taste technology company to find new salt flavour modifiers

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 16th April 2014
PepsiCo has teamed up with food technology company to develop salt reduced substances that still taste salty

Global beverage giant PepsiCo has entered into a research agreement with  US-based taste technology company Senomyx Inc. (Senomyx) to discover, develop and commercialise new salt flavour modifiers.

The new collaboration will be part of Senomyx’s Salt Taste Program, which intends to identify flavours with modifying properties to give consumers the desired salty taste in reduced salt products.

Under the new agreement, PepsiCo will provide research funding for the Salt Taste Program for 2014, with option to extend the research funding period. PepsiCo will have non-exclusive rights to salt flavour modifiers discovered during the research funding period. In addition, Senomyx will have the right to supply these flavour ingredients directly to PepsiCo. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

“We are pleased to establish this new type of research agreement, which provides research funding to Senomyx while retaining our ability to add potential new flavour offerings to our direct sales portfolio,” said John Poyhonen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Senomyx.

Senomyx uses proprietary taste science technologies to discover, develop and commericalise novel flavour ingredients. These include modifiers of Sweet and Salt flavours, as well as Savoury Flavours, Bitter Blockers and Cooling Agents. The Company is also engaged in efforts to discover and develop natural high-potency sweeteners.

Under its direct sales program, Senomyx is beginning to sell certain of its Complimyx brand flavour ingredients, Sweetmyx and Savorymyx, to flavour companies for resale to their food and beverage company customers. In addition, Senomyx has collaborative agreements with global food, beverage and ingredient supply companies.