Blue California to start production on new bitter blocker flavor technology

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Blue California (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) and Conagen (Bedford, MA) jointly filed a patent for a new, nature-based bitter blocker technology, marketed under the Sensegen® brand, to improve the taste of foods and beverages. The technology has unique efficacy across a range of classic bitterants such as plant proteins, cannabinoids, and vitamins popular in today’s food and beverage offerings including coffee, unsweetened cocoa, tea, tonic, energy drinks, and more.

Blue California is scaling and securing global regulatory approval for the ingredient. Its flavor and fragrance division will use the technology to develop custom food and beverage solutions at its newly launched Creative Center in southern California.

“The possibilities are unlimited, and our inspired and talented team customizes ingredient solutions to meet this unmet market need,” said Kathy Oglesby, head of flavor and fragrance at Blue California, in a press release. “At the Blue California Creative Center, we are creating exciting new flavors for the next generation of great-tasting, clean-label solutions for traditionally bitter products.” 

“Conagen has made impressive investments in its capabilities of high-throughput identification, design, and screening to develop the natural novel compound portfolio for taste modulation specifically with this new installment of bitter blockers,” said David Nunn, PhD, vice president of research and development at Conagen. Consumer demand for health and wellness products is growing, and bitter blockers will play an integral role in masking the bitterness and off-notes from functional ingredients that 70% of the population is averse to.