HOLZMINDEN, GERMANY — Symrise Group, which includes Symrise Flavors NA and Diana Food, launched Taste for Alternative Protein (TAP), a global initiative to develop products in the meat alternative, dairy alternative and nutritional beverage categories.

Symrise’s R&D teams rely on a range of tools to generate insights into the plant-based market for food and beverage manufacturers. The proprietary Trendscope Reports, Taste Treks and chef network identify ingredient and flavor trends and enable the company to carefully track developments in alternative protein related cooking techniques and recipes around the world. The company’s R&D teams also employ social media listening to understand consumer perceptions and expectations.

Symrise and Diana Food, working together on the TAP platform, have used those insights to create a toolbox of ingredients and flavors that offer taste, richness, masking, color and appearance improvements to savory foods.

“Alternative proteins in the food and beverage categories are poised for growth, driven by changes in consumer lifestyle behavior and sustainability considerations,” said Emmanuel Laroche, vice president of marketing and consumer insights at Symrise Flavors NA. “Vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets, as well as wider adoption by mainstream consumers, have created a market opportunity for manufacturers of these products, who can now look to Symrise to help them innovate and differentiate their brands.”