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A sponsored Food Dive report outlines how Edlong’s taste-masking technologies are designed to address off-notes and bitterness in products containing protein, natural colors and other ingredients. The report describes a two-part approach using aroma and mouthfeel effects alongside receptor-informed testing, but provides no independent performance data or quantified consumer results.
A Food Dive sponsored report describes how ingredient supplier Edlong is using taste-masking technologies to address bitterness and off-notes in food products as consumer packaged goods companies work with proteins, natural colors and other ingredients. The report presents a two-part method based on aroma and mouthfeel interactions and receptor-informed research, but does not provide independent testing results or quantified evidence of improved consumer acceptance.
The report identifies protein ingredients as one source of formulation difficulty. It says whey proteins can contribute pungent, wet-dog-like notes, while some plant proteins bring grassy, beany or earthy flavors. Hydrolyzed proteins, which manufacturers may use for digestibility-related properties, can also develop bitter peptides during processing. These sensory effects can be difficult for a brand to manage while retaining the ingredient’s intended function.
Natural colors pose another challenge, according to the report. It says color ingredients such as paprika, annatto, beet and turmeric may need to be used at higher levels than artificial colors to achieve a comparable visual effect. At those concentrations, their characteristic tastes and bitterness can become more noticeable. The report also points to supply variability: ingredients from different suppliers may perform differently or contribute slightly different flavors, complicating efforts to keep products consistent.
Edlong describes its method as a two-step taste architecture. The first part uses cross-modal interactions: aroma and mouthfeel are intended to influence how people perceive taste. The report gives vanilla aroma as an example that may increase perceived sweetness, and cream flavor as one that may reduce perceived bitterness or create a creamier mouthfeel. The second part uses receptor-informed inhibition, combining known bitter compounds with other components and evaluating responses through trained sensory panels. The report says that work, alongside published research on bitterness receptors, informs the company’s masking solutions.
Taste Challenges in Reformulated Foods
For CPG product developers, the issue is not simply whether an ingredient delivers a nutritional, functional or visual benefit. A formulation also has to meet expectations for flavor and consistency. If protein, a natural color or a supply change brings a noticeable off-note, consumers may reject a product even when its other attributes meet the brief. That creates a practical tension for brands trying to update existing products or develop new ones.
Taste masking is therefore presented as a formulation tool, rather than a substitute for ingredient selection or product testing. A technology that reduces bitterness or changes perceived sweetness could give developers more room to work with ingredients that otherwise pose sensory challenges. Yet the report’s claims are made by a supplier describing its own products. It does not establish how much masking improves acceptance across product categories, how solutions affect costs, or whether consumer panels would find the resulting products preferable.
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Ingredients Driving Formulation Pressure
The report frames taste masking against demand for better-for-you, clean-label and functional foods. It says developers are being asked to include ingredients associated with those product goals while maintaining an enjoyable taste. The supplied material does not include market figures or independent research to quantify the pace of that demand, so those descriptions should be understood as the report’s framing rather than a measured market finding.
It also connects the interest in natural colors to changing consumer preferences and regulatory policy, without naming a specific rule, jurisdiction or implementation date. The report’s central point is that ingredient replacements are not necessarily one-for-one: matching appearance, performance and sensory qualities may require reformulation. In that setting, variations in ingredient supply can add another layer of work for brands seeking repeatable results.
““This is where Edlong’s suite of masking taste technologies can be the differentiator CPG brands need to meet the moment.””
— Food Dive sponsored report
Evidence Beyond the Supplier Report
The supplied report does not name the published studies behind its receptor discussion, provide detailed sensory-panel methods, or report results for particular products. It also does not quantify how strongly the technologies reduce bitterness, whether effects differ by ingredient or formulation, or how consumers respond in blind tests. The claim that components can block bitter compounds from reaching receptors is presented by Edlong; independent validation is not included in the source material.
Other details remain unspecified, including the costs of applying the technologies, their effects on labels or ingredient declarations, and whether they work consistently across manufacturing scales. The report also does not identify the regulatory changes it references for natural colors. Those gaps limit what can be concluded about the technologies’ commercial performance or the rules motivating reformulation.
Product Testing Will Show Practical Results
The report does not announce a product launch, regulatory deadline or upcoming test result. For brands considering these methods, the next practical step would be to evaluate them in the intended formulation: measure bitterness and other sensory attributes, check performance across ingredient suppliers and production batches, and assess whether consumer testing supports the desired taste profile.
Further evidence would help clarify the report’s claims, including published research details, product-specific sensory results and data comparing consumer acceptance with and without masking. Until such information is available, Edlong’s approach is best understood as a supplier-described formulation option, not proof that every protein or natural-color challenge can be resolved in the same way.
Key Questions
What taste problems does the report say masking technologies address?
The report focuses on bitterness and off-notes, including flavors associated with whey and plant proteins, bitter peptides in hydrolyzed proteins, and taste effects from some natural colors.
How does Edlong say its two-part approach works?
It combines cross-modal interactions, which use aroma and mouthfeel to influence perceived taste, with receptor-informed research intended to identify ways to reduce bitterness.
Does the report prove the technology improves consumer acceptance?
No. It describes Edlong’s method and claims, but the supplied report gives no independent performance data, quantified results or consumer acceptance findings.
Why can natural colors affect a product’s flavor?
The report says some natural colors may need higher use levels to achieve the desired visual effect. At higher levels, ingredients such as paprika, annatto, beet and turmeric may contribute their own tastes or bitterness.
What should brands verify before using a masking solution?
Brands would need to test the solution in the specific product and production process, including sensory performance, supplier and batch variation, consumer response, cost and any relevant labeling requirements.
Source: fooddive.com
