Jean Mane is the former president of V. MANE FILS SAS, one of the global leaders in the flavour and fragrance industry. Under his leadership, which began in 1995, the company underwent a period of innovation and international expansion, establishing itself as # 5 in the Industry.
Recognised as a European flavour expert since 1984, Jean Mane has a strong academic background in chemical engineering from two Parisian universities and in synthetic organic chemistry from MIT. He has previously served as president of the International Organisation of the Flavour Industry (IOFI), the European Flavour Association (EFFA) and Syndicat National des Industries Aromatiques Alimentaires (SNIAA) in France.
His achievements include receiving two of the highest French knighthoods: the Légion d’Honneur and the Ordre National du Mérite. He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Spice Conference and was named Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 for France by EY. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board and Managing Director at MANE KANCOR.
Host: Trevor Groome, Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Ready for another episode en français? Well, here it is! Michel Aubanel interviewed Gérard Bruneau, an experienced flavourist who worked for Robertet, Mero and Kerry throughout his career. They discussed his journey into flavour creation and touched on various aspects of a flavourist's work, answering even some questions from his peers. We will publish an excerpt from this interview in the next issue of our magazine, New Flavourist.
Host: Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Our next guest is Ryan Ponquett. Ryan has a degree in Chemistry, a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry and completed four years post-graduate studies in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Natal in South Africa. He co-founded the flavour company FlavourCraft and was CEO and Technical Director for more than 20 years until it was acquired by Kerry in 2012. Ryan is a former President of the South African Association for Food Science and Technology (SAAFoST), he is an experienced flavourist and is Kerry’s VP for Taste and Innovation for the EMEA region.Host: Trevor Groome, Séan Ryan, Michel Aubanel, Carmen Schultejans, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Join us for a virtual walk through the olfactory world of Caro Verbeek, who shows us how our sense of smell deeply affects our sensory experiences of Art, History, Music, Memory and Emotion. This fascinating discussion gets dangerously philosophical as it explores our very human experience of the world around us.
Caro Verbeek is an embedded researcher of olfactory heritage at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum and International Flavours & Fragrances. Trained as an art historian, she specialises in sensory art and education in museums, art academies and universities. She has 10+ years of experience curating exhibitions and conserving collections (prints, drawings and scents).
Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Today we're pleased to have William van Dongen with us. He's an R&D manager with a wealth of experience in flavour and fragrances, as well as pharmaceutical research.
William is co-founder of Scents & Flavors— a comprehensive database of over 46,000 materials used in the flavor and fragrance industry. In this episode, he'll share his approach to innovation, problem-solving, and how his diverse background informs his work.
Join us as we explore his insights and experiences in the field.
Host: Trevor Groome, Séan Ryan, Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
The first guest of the fourth season of our podcast is Cyndie Lipka, a principal flavorist at Bell Flavors and Fragrances. Ms. Lipka has nearly three decades of experience in the flavor industry, with a focus on developing and duplicating elegantly layered flavors for a variety of markets, including the sweet and dairy industries.
She began her career at The Hershey Company and has worked for Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Sethness Greenleaf Chicago (later Synergy Flavors), Bell Flavors and Fragrances, Prinova USA and again for Bell Flavors & Fragrances.
She is also a past president and chairman of the board for the Society of Flavor Chemists and the Chemical Sources Association. In 2017, Ms. Lipka received the Flavoristof the Year Award from the WFFC, and in 2014, she received the O.F. Stambaugh Chemistry Alumni Award from Elizabethtown College, which is given to alumni inrecognition of outstanding professional contributions in chemistry or medicine.Ms. Lipka is also an active monthly contributor and moderator for Perfumer & Flavorist magazine's "The Flavor Report" section and is a member of the P&F+ Advisory Board.
Host: Trevor Groome, Ján Peťka, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
We wrap up Season 3 of the Flavour Talks podcast with Garmt Dijksterhuis, a renowned researcher in sensory science and experimental psychology. Garmt has over 30 years of experience in academia, research institutes, and the food industry. He has written or co-authored 150 publications in sensory and consumer science, statistics, and psychology. Garmt Dijksterhuis is a founding member of the Sensometric society and a member of the editorial board of several journals in the area of eating and food perception. He has taught courses in food perception and sensory science, and has been invited to speak at various scientific conferences and media interviews. Garmt is teaching at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience of Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Welcome to this episode of our podcast, recorded on World Arts Day, featuring the visionary perfumer Christophe Laudamiel. Known for his innovative approach to fragrance design, Christophe has created scents for some of the world's leading brands and has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of olfactory artistry. In this inspiring conversation, he shares his insights on the importance of forging your own path in the creative world of flavours and fragrances. He encourages listeners to embrace their individuality and resist the limitations imposed by external influences. Join us as we dive into the power of self-expression and chat about how to stay true to ourselves on our creative journeys.
(02:45) How Christophe became a perfumer?
(15:30) Memorable innovation
(21:25) Flavours and society’s acceptance
(26:15) What keeps the perfumer up at night
(32:00) Enhancing flavours from a perfumer’s perspective
(37:45) Christophe and the work at Osmo
(42:30) Collaboration with chefs and bartenders
(46:16) The First Synthetic Molecule
(51:40) Industry Constraints
(53:05) Realism in Perfumery and flavours
(55:00) Smelling “Spacewood”
(1:00:10) Perfumers and flavourists – who are seen as artists?
(1:06:40) Inspiration in unlikely places
(1:17:05) How life’s challenges inspire creativity?
(1:24:00) A Message to the Next Generation
Host: Aidan Kirkwood, Michel Aubanel, Seán Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka
The world of flavours is relatively small, so there are just few iconic personalities. One of them is undoubtedly Andy Taylor. After 32 successful years at the University of Nottingham, where he pioneered the study of flavour release from food, he changed career direction in 2010 to found a spin-out company, Flavometrix. He then joined Mars Petcare where he worked for 6 years. Andy currently works with a number of companies to help develop flavour research strategies and to mentor younger researchers in planning and managing their research projects. His association with the University of Nottingham continues through his role as Emeritus Professor, where he works on an ad hoc basis to support and develop younger researchers and is one of the key people organising the key flavour research event: Weurman Symposium.
Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka
© 2024 British Society of Flavourists
Paola Totaro is an award-winning journalist, editor and author covering global issues including politics, health, social policy, indigenous rights, arts and culture. She has written for major publications and is passionate about storytelling, engaging diverse audiences and mentoring young journalists. When award-winning reporter Paola Totaro lost her sense of smell to Covid in March 2020, her world changed and dulled in an instant. Her latest book, On the Scent, is a memoir/scientific detective story that explores the mysterious sense of smell and its impact on emotional wellbeing, relationships and interpretation. It explores the experiences of patients and scientists and highlights its potential as a health indicator.
Host: Trevor Groome and Seán Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Professor Thomas Hummel is a renowned expert in the field of smell and taste. He supervises work area and outpatient clinic "Smell and Taste" at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the TU Dresden and heads the interdisciplinary centre "Smell and Taste", where he studies the physiology and pathophysiology of smell and taste. His work includes the diagnosis and treatment of olfactory and gustatory disorders.
Host: Trevor Groome and Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
© 2024 British Society of Flavourists
Carlo Bicchi, Full Professor of Phytochemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Turin, has been involved in the development of analytical technologies for biologically active secondary metabolites in plant matrices and in aroma profiling and fingerprinting of industrial food crops. With over 350 publications in international journals, his research interests include sample preparation, gas chromatography, enantioselective GC, high pressure liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid extraction and chromatography, chemometric methods, fingerprinting and profiling. Carlo Bicchi has been invited to serve on international PhD and postdoctoral juries and has collaborated with global companies in the food sector. He has been an effective member of the Botanicals Compendium Working Group for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Host: Trevor Groome and Andrea Albertino, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward, Publishing: Ján Peťka
© 2024 British Society of Flavourists
Listen to a new episode of the Flavour Talks podcast with Saskia van Ruth, Professor of Food Supply Chain Integrity at University College Dublin. With a PhD in food chemistry, she has extensive experience in flavour science and food authenticity, having worked in a variety of roles at institutions including Queen's University Belfast, University College Cork and Wageningen University & Research.
Host: Trevor Groome and Séan Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Technical problems caused that the interview with Professor Barry Smith was left unfinished. That's why we bring you the sequel. Enjoy!
Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
In this episode we talk to Barry C. Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. A philosopher of language and mind and founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, his current research is on the multisensory nature of perceptual experience, focusing on taste, smell and flavour. He has written both theoretical and experimental papers and collaborated with chefs and artists. Barry is also a well-known broadcaster and wine columnist. For technical reasons, this recording has been split into two parts.
Host: Trevor Groome, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
© 2024 British Society of Flavourists
Season 3 of the Flavour Talks podcast kicks off with flavourist Nigel John Murphy. Nigel began his career over 40 years ago, after graduating in Food Technology, he began creating seasonings with a particular focus on learning the flavour of herbs and spices, progressing to join the largest seasoning house in the UK. Encouraged and taught by leading names in the industry and through several joint ventures, this culminated in the creation of the Quintessence range of seasonings. This success led to a position with IFF. After global positions as senior flavourist, several roles were developed for Symrise, Griffiths, Kerry and Mane, creating a huge range of expertise in all areas of savoury. He retired after 5 years as Head of Savoury Creation for Givaudan in Singapore. Originally from Leicester, Nigel is married, with 2 children and 5 grandchildren.
Host: Andrea Albertino & Seán Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou, Publishing: Ján Peťka
© 2024 British Society of Flavourists
We are closing the season 2 of Flavour Talks podcast with Kaan Demiryurek, who recently published the book "Food for thought - Food Science and Engineering for the Future of Humanity". Kaan has worked in R&D, food science and engineering at PepsiCo for more than 20 years. His combination of curiosity and expertise, coupled with philosophical aspects and future-oriented thinking, is an exciting and inspiring combination.
Host: Trevor Groome & Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Britta Nobis, Publishing: Ján Peťka
Listen to a new episode of the Flavour Talks podcast. Our guest is Anne Tromelin, a researcher at the INRA in Dijon, France. She studied pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Bourgundy, focusing on the biological activity of small organic molecules. She joined the INRA in Dijon, where she started working on QSAR studies, mainly on beta-lactoglobulin. Her career then evolved into studies on aroma perception using computational and chemoinformatics approaches.
The podcast was held in French, an abridged version translated into English will appear in our magazine New Flavourist. Host: Michel Aubanel, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou & Ján Peťka
Listen to a new episode of Flavour Talks, this time with Sam Bompas, founder of Bompas & Parr, globally recognised as the leading expert in multi-sensory experience design.
Bompas & Parr was founded in June 2007 creating food art using gelatine desserts. Their work has been noted for its detail and the company has competed in culinary artwork competitions. Their projects explore how the taste of food is altered through synaesthesia, performance and setting. Current focus of their projects is gelatine-based because they feel it is a perfect medium for an examination of food and architecture due to its plastic form and the historic role it has played in exploring notions of taste.
Host: Trevor Groome & Séan Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Maria Palassarou
Listen to a new episode of Flavour Talks podcast, this time with John Forbes, a renown expert on raw materials for flavour and fragrance industry.
Host: Trevor Groome, Andrea Albertino, Séan Ryan, Music: Aidan Kirkwood, Editing: Mark Millward