Meet the Panelists: Steven Pearce, CEO, Omega Ingredients
On July 24, The World Taste & Smell Association will present Future Trends in Taste and Scent, an online presentation offering an insightful look at how we’ll engage with smell and flavors in the future, and what innovations will be part of the consumer products of tomorrow.
Stephanie Feuer interviewed panelist Steven Pearce, founder of Omega Ingredients, a trailblazing developer of flavors and fragrances. Pearce's expertise in crafting ingredients with all-natural materials and cutting-edge biochemistry revolutionizes how we perceive taste and aroma. He is passionate about pushing boundaries and reimagining possibilities within the realms of flavor and fragrance.
SF: You’re developed an enhancer that can replace sugar in food and beverages, but still allows them to taste sweet. How does this work?
SP: This is our OmegaSweet Natural Flavour System…working on the principal, that by improving flavor we can increase the perception of sweetness whilst improving mouthfeel and thus allow sugar/sucrose reduction in the end consumer product. It is clean label solution, enabling declaration as a “Natural Flavouring” and works extremely well in beverages, sauces and pH controlled food applications including baked beans and ketchups.
SF: You once worked with NASA to design an aroma that would prepare astronauts for outer space. What does space smell like?
SP: This was described to me, by several astronauts, who had walked in space, as reminding them of “Hot Metal” and “Fried Steak”…so that was what I aimed to re-create.
SF: You’ve created a nut-free nut flavoring, a popcorn milkshake and, for a children’s book, the odor of wet dog. What smells and flavors do you think you’ll be creating five years from now?
SP: All these projects presented unique challenges and have been exciting to work on, and they often came as a surprise request from an artist or writer, so you never know what is around the corner.
The latest work has been to recreate the smell of an active volcano for a British University Team, about to bring their research to the public in the form of an exhibition. Specifically a volcano on the island of Montserrat and including, not only the volcano itself, but also the surrounding flora and vegetation. My colleagues were not too pleased at my use of some powerful sulphurous materials in the lab during this one!
SF: One goal of The World Taste and Smell Association is to elevate our appreciation of our senses of smell and taste. What’s one way people can enhance their appreciation or understanding of smell or flavor?
SP: Without doubt, the field of aroma, smell and taste is hugely under-appreciated and misunderstood, by the public at large. We have dedicated ourselves to trying to explain more through a series of public events in London and more recently at The Food Museum in the UK. Attending events such as these would help their appreciation and understanding. Reading books such as: (a) Perfume by Patrick Suskind, with it’s terrific descriptions of extraction processes of natural materials, their aroma and the affect this had on the protagonist in the story. (b) The Various Flavours of Coffee by Anthony Capella, bringing a new perception of the variety one can experience in a widely consumed, common-place, everyday product. This is a wake up to the endless possibilities.
Hear more from Steven Pearce during our present Future Trends in Taste and Scent presentation on July 24 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (EST) on Zoom. Tickets are $25 and available here.
