RYVITA USES SENSORY SCIENCE TO INJECT COLOUR INTO LUNCHTIME

Author Notes

Ryvita Crispbread, the leading range of wholegrain rye Crispbreads, is on a mission to make lunchtime the most exciting meal of the day. Forget soggy sarnies or limp salad, mundane combinations like cheese and mayo no longer cut the mustard.

To do this, Ryvita has teamed up with food and flavour scientist, Dr. Rachel Edwards-Stuart to create twelve (https://www.ryvita.co.uk/recipes/category/dr-rachel-edwards-stuart) inspiring recipes that are scientifically proven to make lunches less ordinary.

The new recipes were created using a ‘flavour pairing hypothesis’ based on analysis of the flavour, colour and aroma profile of each variety in the Ryvita Crispbread range. These profiles were then paired with fresh ingredients that shared similar profiles to make an unusual marriage made in taste heaven. Heston Blumenthal, who sponsored Dr. Rachel’s PhD, used this process to create many of his surprisingly delicious flavour concoctions, including white chocolate and caviar that challenged people’s preconceptions of how they would expect to combine flavours.

The entire Ryvita Crispbread range was analysed during the process, from Pumpkin Seeds and Oats to Sweet Onion, enabling Dr. Rachel to create an exceptional collection of recipes that challenge perceptions yet burst with colour and flavour.

To develop the scientifically perfect toppings for Sweet Onion Crispbread, research was conducted by first creating a flavour profile for its most dominant aroma – baked onion. The analysis showed that in baked onion the most dominant aroma compound is dimethyl trisulfide, which carries scents of onion, cabbage and sulfur. Dimethyl trisulfide is also a dominant aroma compound in cocoa and chocolate. Based on this, Dr. Rachel paired cocoa as a topping ingredient for the Sweet Onion Crispbread alongside honey, garlic, Brie and mushrooms, all of which have aromas in common with baked onion.

Dr. Rachel Edwards-Stuart commented, “Our research threw up some really fascinating flavour combinations, which I have used to create some surprising but totally delicious recipes. My personal favourite is the strawberry, avocado and mozzarella topping for the Cracked Black Pepper Crispbread. I took inspiration from the fact that some chefs add black pepper to strawberries to enhance their flavour. Research also shows that tomatoes and strawberries share many flavour compounds so mozzarella, avocado, basil and balsamic vinegar was the perfect pairing for the strawberries in this recipe. Lime zest and a squeeze of its juice gave it a final complementary flourish as p-cymene and limonene are amongst the most dominant aroma compounds in both lime oil and black pepper.” —Jane Hill