R&D and Innovation

As Aromsa, we aim to become more competent in the production of flavours with our high value-added products in line with our R&D and Technology Policy and to be ranked among the leading organizations in all of our operating regions. With an innovative and creative approach, we add value to products, processes and business styles and give priority to projects that can provide a true competitive advantage and stand out amongst competition.

In this context, we closely follow the latest technological developments in the food industry and offer innovative, healthy and sustainable products to the market, and we act as a flavour partner to ensure that our customers’ final products achieve the desired performance. We aim to contribute to the national economy with the flavours that we produce by choosing domestically sourced ingredients.

R&D and Innovation Culture

Our R&D Centre, licensed by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2013, stands out by focusing on state-of-the-art technologies in use in the flavour industry. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach in our R&D studies, we bring together different areas of expertise, creating synergies across functions. Our R&D and Innovation Centre, which employs 77 people as of the end of the reporting period, consists of 14 separate departments: Dessert R&D Laboratory, Salty Products R&D Laboratory, R&D Extraction Laboratory, Sensory Analysis Laboratory, Analysis Laboratory, New Product Development Laboratory, R&D Sauce Laboratory, Protein Laboratory, Milk and Dairy Products R&D Application, Beverage R&D Application, Sweet R&D Application, Savory R&D Application Laboratory, and Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen and Process Development Laboratory.

Germany R&D Application Department’s Activities

Our R&D Application Unit in Emmerich, Germany, works with the Aromsa Innovation and R&D Team to develop innovative projects that anticipate the future needs and expectations of our business partners. We focus not only on product innovation but also on process innovation and regularly hold meeting to discuss innovative ideas and solutions.

At Aromsa, R&D studies play a key role in sustainable economic growth, and we strive to create a corporate culture that fosters innovation. Our R&D team of 77 experienced experts accounts for 20% of our total number of employees.

Since the establishment of our Company, we have been allocating, on average, 6% of our total turnover to R&D every year. In the TurkishTime’s list of top 250 R&D companies which is prepared by scrutinizing R&D centres under different categories, we maintained our leadership in the food industry among B2B and B2C companies under the “R&D Expenditure” category by ranking 3^rd in 2022, 2^nd in 2023, and 3^rd in 2024.

We offer fast and superior quality solutions thanks to the Aroma Library, which we have created with the knowledge and corporate experience gained as a result of R&D studies since Aromsa’s establishment in all food categories from crackers to soup, from beverages to confectionery.

We closely follow scientific developments in the food industry and contribute to the literature by publishing in acclaimed international and national peer-reviewed journals. During the reporting period, 12 of our articles were published in international and national scientific journals, while a total of 82 articles were published in sectoral and business magazines.

Our Registered Brands and Innovations: Camarom®, Kapsarom® and Natkor®

Through the studies we carry out in our Process Development Laboratory with modern technologies, we not only increase product performance but also offer innovative solutions that aim to reduce environmental impact. Our research is focused on increasing the effectiveness of flavour carrier systems, making pilot-scale encapsulation trials, and achieving optimum flavour preservation and controlled release performance with different carrier materials.

Developed in this context and registered by Aromsa, the Camarom® and Kapsarom® brands stand out with both their technological superiority and sustainable production approach.

These product groups include granulated, microcapsulated and powdered forms of flavours as developed using different encapsulation techniques. They contribute to energy and raw material savings in production processes, while also offering significant advantages such as long shelf life, flavour stability and high sensory performance in final products.

Camarom® – Granulated Flavours For Long Shelf Life and Resource Efficiency

With its non-porous and tight structure, Camarom® offers a shelf life of two years or more, helping to prevent flavour loss and waste, especially when used in products with a short shelf life. Thanks to its low moisture content, energy efficiency is achieved and water consumption is minimized. As the production process uses very little liquid, Camarom® offers the possibility of production with less resources compared to traditional techniques. Camarom® products, which can be supplied in different shapes, colours, sizes and contents according to requirements, are ideal for use in the industry as they can be easily dosed, do not cause dusting, reduce waste rates and minimize waste in the production line.

Kapsarom® – Biodegradable, Controlled-release Microcapsules

Kapsarom® is our innovative microcapsule product that offers sustainable flavour delivery and controlled release. It is an environmentally friendly formulation thanks to its core-shell structure coated with natural and biodegradable biopolymers. Thanks to the low-temperature production process, volatile substances are effectively preserved, which yield more intense, fresh and stable flavour profiles. At the same time, low energy use helps reduce the carbon footprint. Microcapsules only release flavour when they are broken down by a mechanical impact, e.g. during chewing. This controlled release characteristic ensures that flavour components are protected from environmental influences, which improves product stability and enhances the consumer experience. Thanks to its standard spherical form and homogeneous size, a regular flow can be achieved in production lines and the risk of waste during dosing is minimized.

Natkor® – A Natural and Powerful Alternative to Preservatives and a Sustainable and Clean Label Compliant Solution

Natkor®, one of our registered trademarks, is a nature-based preservative system developed using techniques of extraction of a special herbal extract. Developed as an alternative to traditional synthetic preservatives, Natkor® offers a clean label compliant solution for sustainable food products. The product has been tested in industrial applications and proven, in scientific analyses, to provide antimicrobial effect equivalent to common chemical preservatives such as sodium and potassium benzoate. This makes it a highly efficient solution in terms of both microbial stability and shelf life optimization. Since Natkor® contains natural and biodegradable ingredients, it has a preservative profile that is both environmentally friendly and aligns with consumer expectations. It is particularly ideal for use in clean label formulations as well as formulations focused on ‘natural ingredients’.

Thanks to its standardized extract form, it provides ease of dosing on the production line, and preserves its effectiveness in every batch with its homogeneous distribution. Inspired by nature, Natkor® supports food safety with its high antimicrobial activity while contributing to sustainable production policies.

“Flavour Journey of Life” Experience Workshop

Life is a journey that evolves, changes every day with full of surprises as well as bitter and sweet moments. What makes us who we are is what we learn, feel and experience during this journey which we perceive through our five senses. Taste and smell, in particular, are the senses that evoke different feelings, emotions and memories in each individual. They are the senses that are retained in memory for the longest time and enable us to connect with our memories. As Aromsa, we have created a story that appeals to all these senses and consists of five different themes with the “Flavour Journey of Life” experience workshop. As we move through different periods of life, we took the themes created with visuals and music and personalized them with scents and flavours. Thus, while going to the most beautiful times and sweet memories of life accompanied by unique flavours and scents, we stimulate the senses and offer the opportunity to experience the important place of taste in our lives from a holistic perspective. We hosted both internal and external guests in our workshop and received impressive feedback.

Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen: The Meeting Point of R&D and Flavour

Named after the mother of our founder Murat Yasa and located in our R&D Centre, Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen operates as a centre where we bring the innovative recipes that we developed since 2019 to the industrial scale. In Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen, we implement projects on re-prescribing the flavour parameters of all kinds of cooked food, comparing flavours and adapting newly developed flavours to these recipes. At Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen, we organize workshops with the participation of our employees business partners under the moderation by a culinary arts consultant. After tasting of the meals cooked in Remzet Hanım’s Kitchen, we develop the flavours of popular tastes.

Aromatic Flavour Workshops are organized with different concepts such as global food trends, world cuisines and special occasions. This creates an important aspect that differentiates Aromsa in the industry and demonstrates that it values employee motivation and business partners.

Food Analysis Laboratory

As a result of the uncontrolled use of chemicals in agricultural products, pesticide residues that pose a great danger to the environment and human health can pass into foods. Within our R&D Centre, we established an accredited laboratory in 2021 on a voluntary basis under our Analysis Laboratory. To ensure the implementation of internationally recognized methods in analyses, the reliability of analysis services, and the enhancement of performance, we have developed Quality Management System (QMS) procedures in line with all requirements specified in the TS EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Aromsa Analysis Laboratory met the required conditions and received TÜRKAK Accreditation in 2023 for the analyses of pesticides, ethylene oxide, pH, density, acrylamide, ochratoxin and patulin, which are multi-residue analyses. Thanks to this certification, we are now qualified to conduct these analyses within our own accredited facilities. Our long-term goal is to conduct these analyses, which represent common challenges in the industry, and to collectively evaluate the analysis results from an impartial perspective, and to create a reliable data source for solving these problems. By analysing the needs of our industry, we undertake the necessary efforts to move our business partners, customers, and industry forward.

We will continue to pave the way for environmentally friendly and innovative solutions in our product portfolio by shaping our holistic approach inspired by nature with sustainability principles at every stage of production. In full compliance with sustainable development goals, green process designs are planned to be implemented that will minimize carbon emissions in production processes by directly linking them to R&D outputs.