Symrise Flavors, Holzminden, Germany, said it added extraction capabilities for botanicals and vanilla in its Teterboro, N.J., facility. These new extractions can be used across a wide variety of applications, including yogurts, ice creams, desserts, bakery, confectionery, protein shakes and beverages.

“There is an increased demand for natural ingredients and transparency in the food and beverage marketplace, so Symrise has expanded the footprint of our natural capabilities in North America by manufacturing botanical and vanilla extracts and distillations here in New Jersey,” said Larry Garro, vice president of operations, Symrise. “These locally produced raw materials will go into the natural flavors that are part of our Code of Nature naturalness platform.”

According to Symrise, the advantages this new technology bring to customers are speed, an expansion of capacity and a fit-for-purpose design. The natural extracts may now be offered directly to clients, shortening lead times and providing supply chain efficiencies. The new extraction capabilities also allow for more flexibility in extract formats, since they can be customized to a specific application or customer requirement, especially when creating signature products.

“Vanilla is one of the most important ingredients in the world. It is relevant in confectionery, dairy and bakery products,” said Carol McBride, category director for Sweet Business Unit, Symrise. “This is the third location in the world that Symrise has for manufacturing vanilla extracts, using beans sourced from Madagascar and India. The new enrichment technology allows us to capture the volatiles in the concentration process and add them back into the extract, making this a real differentiator for us in the marketplace.”

Along with vanilla, botanical extracts are also manufactured locally. Symrise said it named botanicals as part of its “2019+ Food Trends” report because they add complexity, variety and freshness to many types of foods and beverages.