Flavour development and taste masking

What we do: flavour development and taste masking

We develop flavour systems and taste masking for brands' custom supplements, across the formats we make in Leicester: powders, sachets and stick packs, gummies, shots, pouches, softgels, gum, bars and drinks. The actives brands want most, such as creatine, magnesium, botanical extracts and other high-dose powders, are bitter, salty, sour or metallic at the doses that work. Cutting the dose to fix the taste breaks the product, so we fix the taste at full dose and design the flavour system alongside your formula, not after it. Flavour sits inside our research and development process from the first bench sample.

Taste masking decides whether a supplement is taken once or bought again. Gummies, powders, shots and pouches all put the active in direct contact with the tongue: in a capsule, taste rarely mattered; in a non-pill format, taste is part of the product. Every project gives your brand:

• A flavour system built for your actives: sweeteners, acids, bitter blockers and flavours, with coated actives where chemistry alone cannot hide an off-note.
• Sensory proof: triangle tests, paired comparisons and descriptive profiling, then consumer acceptance where the brief needs it.
• The dose intact: HPLC or mineral assays confirm the active after masking.
• Taste that lasts: a taste check at each stability pull point, and the first production batch tasted against the agreed standard.
• Results you own: the flavour system, sensory data and stability results belong to your brand.

Our approach to taste masking and the science behind it

We start from the chemistry of the off-note, because the fix depends on what causes it.

Why actives taste the way they do

Humans carry about 25 bitter taste receptors, the TAS2R family, and each responds to a different range of molecules (Meyerhof and colleagues, Chemical Senses, 2010). Caffeine, many botanical compounds and some amino acids and peptides activate them. Sensitivity varies between people, partly through genes such as TAS2R38, so a formula that tastes fine to one assessor can be harsh to another. The metallic note of iron salts is partly smell rather than taste: it drops when the nose is blocked (Lawless and colleagues, Chemical Senses, 2005). Salty and sour notes come from electrolytes, mineral salts and acids such as vitamin C.

Bitter blockers and maskers

Bitterness can be reduced at the tongue or hidden in the overall flavour. Sodium suppresses bitterness: a classic study showed that salt lowers perceived bitterness and lets sweetness through (Breslin and Beauchamp, Nature, 1997). Bitter-masking flavour preparations dampen the bitter signal, and cyclodextrins, ring-shaped sugars, hold bitter molecules inside them so less reaches the receptors, where the market permits them. Fat, viscosity and cooling notes cut contact time or pull attention elsewhere. We combine several tools rather than relying on one, because each blocker works on some bitter compounds and not others.

Sweetener systems

Sweetness covers bitterness, but each sweetener behaves differently. FDA puts sucralose at about 600 times as sweet as table sugar, acesulfame potassium and aspartame at about 200 times, and steviol glycosides at 200 to 400 times (US FDA). High-intensity sweeteners differ in how fast sweetness arrives and how long it lingers, so we blend them for a sugar-like curve. Steviol glycosides also activate the bitter receptors TAS2R4 and TAS2R14, which explains their aftertaste (Hellfritsch and colleagues, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2012); purer glycosides and blending reduce it. Polyols such as xylitol, maltitol and erythritol add bulk to sugar-free gummies and mints, and some add a cooling note.

Rules shape the choice. In the EU and GB, a sweetener must be authorised for the food category, labels carry "with sweetener(s)", and added polyols above 10% trigger a laxative warning. A "sugars-free" claim allows no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Newer sweeteners such as brazzein, a sweet protein, and allulose are mostly US tools for now; allulose is not authorised in the EU or GB, so our UK and EU formulas build their sweetness from authorised sweeteners.

Encapsulation and coating

When chemistry cannot hide an off-note, a physical barrier can. Spray-drying traps flavours and oils in a carbohydrate shell. Spray-chilling and fluid-bed coating wrap particles of caffeine, minerals or vitamins in fat or polymer. Granulation reduces the surface that touches the tongue. Each barrier has trade-offs: coatings slow dissolution in shots, lipid coats can melt in a gummy cook, and coated powders take up more room per dose. We test the coated active for release and assay as well as taste, so masking never costs the label dose.

Pairing flavour with the off-note

Flavour choice follows the defect. Bitter actives sit naturally in flavours people expect to be bitter, such as coffee, cocoa, grapefruit and dark berry. Sour minerals suit citrus and red fruit. Brothy collagen and protein notes suit chocolate, vanilla and caramel. Metallic notes need bright top notes and balanced acidity. A good flavour system makes the active part of the taste instead of fighting it.

Methods, data and partners

Taste masking only counts when it is measured. We use standard sensory and analytical methods, with accredited partner laboratories running the assays, so results stand up to scrutiny and repeat at scale.

• Triangle tests (ISO 4120). Assessors pick the odd sample out of three, which shows whether a change can be tasted at all. With 24 assessors, 13 or more correct answers mark a real difference at 5% significance. We use the same test to show that a reformulation goes unnoticed.
• Paired comparisons (ISO 5495). Assessors judge which of two samples is more bitter, sweeter or more metallic.
• Descriptive profiling (ISO 13299). Assessors selected and trained to ISO 8586 score each attribute on a scale, so trials are compared on numbers rather than opinions.
• Time-intensity and Temporal Dominance of Sensations. These methods track how bitterness builds and lingers, and how long a pouch or gum flavour lasts (Pineau and colleagues, Food Quality and Preference, 2009).
• Consumer acceptance. Liking is measured on the 9-point hedonic scale (Peryam and Pilgrim, Food Technology, 1957) with the brand's target buyers, not the development team.
• Analytical checks. HPLC or mineral assay confirms the dose is intact after masking. We measure pH, water activity and, for coated actives, release or dissolution, and accelerated and real-time stability studies include a taste check at each pull point.

We arrange the partners each project needs: flavour houses, encapsulation specialists, sensory laboratories and accredited partner laboratories for analysis. The data belongs to your brand, and stability results feed straight into the limits set out on our testing and batch release page.

Examples by format and category

Gummies

Gummies are cooked, acidified and set, so flavour and actives must survive heat and low pH. Volatile flavours go in late to limit losses, and sour sanding with citric or malic acid masks bitterness on the first bite. High-dose actives are the hard cases. The number of creatine gummy products grew 59% in the US and 50% in Europe in the year to January 2026 (Nutrition Integrated, reported by NutraIngredients, January 2026). Creatine converts to creatinine faster in acidic, moist conditions (Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids, 2011), so creatine gummies need control of pH, water activity and overage as well as taste. Colour is part of flavour too, and Red No. 3 will not be allowed in US food from 15 January 2027, so we pair new gummy flavours with natural colours. See gummy manufacturing.

Powders and drink mixes

Powders carry gram doses, so every off-note is amplified. Magnesium citrate is sour and bitter, potassium chloride is bitter and metallic, creatine is gritty, and collagen and protein hydrolysates bring brothy or bitter peptides. We balance acid, salt and sweetener, raise the flavour load and design for mixability, so the drink tastes the same from first sip to last. Powders, sachets and stick packs are made in Leicester; see powder supplement manufacturing.

Shots and liquids

In a liquid the active is fully dissolved and reaches every receptor at once, so bitterness peaks. Ginseng, turmeric and other botanical extracts need strong flavour systems, and preservation usually needs a low pH, which sharpens sourness. Viscosity, sweetener choice and aromatic top notes do most of the work. See liquid supplement manufacturing.

Pouches

A pouch sits in the mouth for a long session, so flavour must last as long as the release. Caffeine is bitter, and the sweetener and cooling system must stay balanced from the first minute to the last. We pair release testing with time-intensity sensory work, and profiles stay adult because caffeine products are not for children. See functional pouch manufacturing.

Softgels, gum, bars and drinks

Fish and algal oil softgels can take a natural lemon or orange flavour in the fill or shell to soften fishy notes, and liposomal liquids need flavours that sit with the fatty note of phospholipids. Gum releases flavour across the whole chew, so we track it with time-intensity work. Protein and fibre give bars dry, chalky or bitter notes that coatings and inclusions balance. Functional coffee and tea carry bitter mushroom extracts in a taste people expect to be bitter, while ready-to-drink functional drinks lean on acidity, sweetness and aromatic top notes. We make all of these formats in Leicester.

Licensed and nostalgic flavours

Dessert, sweet-shop and cereal flavours win attention on shelf and on social media. Licensed flavours need a trade mark agreement and the licence holder's sign-off on taste. Two cautions apply. Child appeal must be controlled: caffeine products carry "not recommended for children", and US iron supplements in solid forms, gummies included, carry FDA's accidental overdose warning. And novelty fades, so we pair a headline flavour with a core flavour that sustains repeat purchase.

Illustrative worked example: a magnesium evening drink mix

This example is illustrative, not a client project: it shows how we approach a typical brief. Suppose a brand asks for a sugar-free berry drink mix with high-dose magnesium and L-theanine. Magnesium citrate at that dose is sour and bitter, so we map the off-notes at full dose first. Trials then test a partial switch to magnesium bisglycinate, which is milder, and adjust the acid so the berry reads fresh rather than sharp. A sucralose and steviol glycoside blend gives fast and lasting sweetness with no sugar load. Descriptive profiling scores sour, bitter and salty notes for each trial; a triangle test against the brand's benchmark confirms the final taste; and mineral assay confirms the magnesium content. The chosen system then enters stability, with a taste check at each pull point.

How it fits the development process

1. Brief. Format, dose, target markets, claims, label rules such as sugar-free, vegan or natural flavourings only, and a taste benchmark, often a product the brand admires.
2. Off-note map. Each active is tasted at full dose, alone and in the base, to see exactly what has to be solved.
3. Bench trials. Several flavour, sweetener and masking systems are built in parallel, screened by an internal panel and narrowed down.
4. Sensory proof. The leading systems go through paired, triangle and descriptive tests, then consumer acceptance where the brief needs it.
5. Stability. Taste is re-checked through accelerated and real-time stability, because flavours fade and some actives change taste as they age.
6. Scale-up. Production heat, mixing order and shear differ from the bench, so the first production batch is tasted against the agreed standard.
7. Every batch after. Three retained samples per batch, kept for shelf life plus one year, let us re-taste against the standard whenever a question arises.

R&D is a paid stage that can be included with an order of the right size. The flavour system is part of your formula, and your formula is yours: the specification, sensory data and stability results belong to your brand, as our formula ownership commitment sets out. The actives we work with are listed in our ingredient library. Start your project with your format, dose and taste benchmark.

References: Meyerhof and colleagues, Chemical Senses (2010); Lawless and colleagues, Chemical Senses (2005); Breslin and Beauchamp, Nature (1997); Hellfritsch and colleagues, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2012); Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids (2011); Pineau and colleagues, Food Quality and Preference (2009); ISO 4120, sensory analysis: triangle test (2021); EFSA, safety of D-allulose as a novel food (2025).