 The use of time-release aromas in bottle closures and other food and beverage packaging is a marketing tool that ScentSational hopes will compel buyers to remember the product. |
Most people don’t associate plastics with the word “yummy,” but if a breakthrough technology catches on, it just might put a whole new spin on the plastics industry, and help companies in the food and beverage industry differentiate their products in a whole new way.
ScentSational Technologies (Jenkintown, PA) introduced CompelAroma, a proprietary technology that uses encapsulated flavor and aroma release in molded plastic packaging. ScentSational’s CompelAroma technology allows food and beverage marketers to differentiate brands by encapsulating flavors within the structure of plastic packaging, which then releases the desired aromas. FDA-approved food-grade flavors are added directly into the packaging materials at the time of manufacturing. During the molding process, the encapsulated flavors and associated aromas become integral parts of the package.
CompelAromas may be controlled to release when a package is opened, or during food preparation, such as microwaving. “In addition to CompelAroma’s obvious taste benefits, its brand-building power comes from the fact that aroma travels in a direct line to an individual’s memory and emotional center, and therefore is a key factor in brand preference,” says Steven M. Landau, ScentSational Technologies CTO. “Invoking positive memories that are tied to the brand is a very powerful marketing tool.”
A Subtle Hook
Portola Packaging, a San Jose, CA molder of proprietary caps and closures, is manufacturing the flavor-infused closures. With 14 plants in North America and operations worldwide, Portola serves the dairy, juice, and food industries with tamper-evident closures, containers, and related products. Its evaluation of the product demonstrated that CompelAroma offers dramatic benefits with no negative influences on the beverages themselves.
“The flavors were long lasting—even longer than we expected—and we found CompelAroma could efficiently be employed without adding another costly manufacturing step,” says Rodger Moody, Portola’s VP of new product development.
Portola is interested in CompelAroma for use in water, juice, and milk packaging. Moody says the greatest obvious improvement to a branded product came to bottled water. “Within three days of bottling there is a dramatic change in the water. If we place a citrus-flavored closure on a bottle of water, the water tastes naturally citrusy, without the normal oxidation that occurs with most citrus beverages.” The same held true for other flavors.
The flavors of CompelAroma are not overpowering, Moody explains, but are “just enough to let a consumer know it’s there, enjoy the flavor, remember the brand, and show a clear preference for it.”
| Contact Information
Portola Packaging, San Jose, CA
ScentSational Technologies |