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EssenceLock™
EssenceLock™ is AFF's spray-drying encapsulation technology. It uses starch-based natural polymers to build a protective shell around volatile flavor compounds, shielding them from oxidation, reducing loss during processing, and enabling controlled release at the point of consumption.
Taste That Endures
Encapsulation Built for Shelf Life, Processing, and Controlled Release
EssenceLock™ uses starch-based natural polymers as the encapsulating matrix. These materials offer high oxidation resistance, low volatile loss during spray-drying, and cost efficiency at production scale. That is a combination that synthetic wall materials struggle to match.
The result: sensitive volatile compounds stay intact through production and storage, and release predictably when the consumer opens the product. Take a green tea-infused sports drink. Green tea flavor is notoriously unstable. Astringent polyphenols shift over time, and delicate aromatic notes oxidize quickly. EssenceLock™ encapsulates the tea flavor profile, protecting it from degradation in the bottle and releasing it gradually during consumption. The consumer gets a true-to-life green tea taste, not a faded approximation.
The same principle applies to a spicy BBQ snack. Smoky and capsaicin-driven flavor compounds are volatile and degrade during extended shelf storage. EssenceLock™ holds these compounds stable inside the encapsulate and releases them on contact with moisture during consumption, so the spice kick and smoke character are still present months after production.
In a vanilla bean almond milk, vanillin and related aldehydes are highly susceptible to oxidation, which causes noticeable flavor fade within weeks. EssenceLock™ encapsulates these compounds, controlling their release rate so the vanilla character remains consistent from day one through the end of shelf life.
Every EssenceLock™ formulation is customized to the specific product matrix, processing conditions, and shelf-life requirements of your application. If your current encapsulation approach is losing volatile impact or adding cost you cannot justify, we should talk.
The result: sensitive volatile compounds stay intact through production and storage, and release predictably when the consumer opens the product. Take a green tea-infused sports drink. Green tea flavor is notoriously unstable. Astringent polyphenols shift over time, and delicate aromatic notes oxidize quickly. EssenceLock™ encapsulates the tea flavor profile, protecting it from degradation in the bottle and releasing it gradually during consumption. The consumer gets a true-to-life green tea taste, not a faded approximation.
The same principle applies to a spicy BBQ snack. Smoky and capsaicin-driven flavor compounds are volatile and degrade during extended shelf storage. EssenceLock™ holds these compounds stable inside the encapsulate and releases them on contact with moisture during consumption, so the spice kick and smoke character are still present months after production.
In a vanilla bean almond milk, vanillin and related aldehydes are highly susceptible to oxidation, which causes noticeable flavor fade within weeks. EssenceLock™ encapsulates these compounds, controlling their release rate so the vanilla character remains consistent from day one through the end of shelf life.
Every EssenceLock™ formulation is customized to the specific product matrix, processing conditions, and shelf-life requirements of your application. If your current encapsulation approach is losing volatile impact or adding cost you cannot justify, we should talk.