Insight
Asia
Executive Interview
Natural foods and natural flavours, highlight ingredients
Dr. Tina Tan, General Manager Matrix Flavours & Fragrances
I wouldn’ t consider this a trend, but with the continual growth of the middle class and affluence in many countries, the theme of natural foods and natural flavours comes to the forefront. The industry is coming to terms with it with definitions of what is to be classified as‘ natural’. There are current disputes on what classifies as naturals, with most following either the US or EU definitions, which are at odds with each other. Over time, we hope there is some clarity in definitions and the gap will hopefully narrow, to make it easier for manufacturers worldwide.
There have been an increasing amount of natural products on supermarket shelves. Likewise, we find the request of natural flavours increasing in Southeast Asia. We have been developing a range of flavours to meet this market demand.
Matrix Flavours and Fragrances, a leading flavours manufacturer in Asia
E stablished in 1978, we are a flavour and fragrance house headquartered in Malaysia. Our core focus is research and development of flavours. We decided to start where the industry would end up anyway. Therefore we looked at the weaknesses of the industry and decided to concentrate on heat resistant flavours so that we will not be reinventing the wheel. We did not want to be a‘ me-too’ company. To this day, our heat resistant flavours have become a cornerstone of our business.
We have continually strengthened our portfolio of flavours, predominantly in the sweet area to cater for a variety of industries; food, oils and fats, pharmaceutical and animal-feed industries. We look to strengthening our portfolio by adding in savoury flavours in the next year.
Currently, we are present in 45 countries, with offices in India, Myanmar and Belgium; with two manufacturing sites, one in Malaysia, and the other in India.
We are in the midst of constructing a new factory, not only to enhance our flavour and fragrances product range, but also to cater for increasing capacity of current
products as our marketing reach expands. There is also a need to have production facilities for natural sweet and savoury flavours. Encapsulated flavours are also very much on our list for production.
We believe that, not only do we have to develop flavour technology, we also need to improve on process technology. We are constantly looking at new equipment and process technologies to modernise our facility, improving efficiency and streamlining process flows, for example the installation of an automatic dosing machine.
Can flavour and fragrance as an industry grow globally? Yes, definitely- flavours are predominantly utilised in the food industry; fragrances in cosmetics, personal care and household care industries. People will always need to eat and be clean. As long the population grows and as societies become more affluent, the demand for more convenient packaged foods, cosmetics, personal care or cleaning agents will ensure that the flavour and fragrance industries will grow.
We spend a lot of our resources on research and development and continuously upgrading our technology and facility. I don’ t believe that we compete on a product-to-product basis. Each company has its’ niche specialty that they dominate the field in. What I believe makes Matrix’ s success in the last 38 years, is a strong commitment to R & D and product knowledge, the consistent quality and adhered standards to globally recognised food safety systems such as FSSC 22000, as well as a strong orientation towards customer service and flexibility, gives us a competitive edge in this industry.
FI Asia, held in Jakarta this year, attracts a very strong local crowd. We look at this as an ideal opportunity to showcase flavours and concepts that will appeal to the local palate. As for exactly what this is, please visit our booth( Stand No. C8) to find out more!
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