The European Commission has officially added naringenin, a naturally occurring flavonoid with taste-modifying properties, to the EU Food Flavoring Regulation.

This comes after the European Food Safety Authority concluded last year that naringenin (FL No 16.132) as an extract is safe to use in foods and does not mislead consumers, based on ingredient formulator HealthTech Bioactives’ (HTBA) scientific dossier.

The company notes that this inclusion marks the end of an eight-year regulatory process.

“This is a proud moment for HTBA and a meaningful step forward for innovation in natural flavor solutions,” says Tom D’hoore, chief commercial officer at HTBA.

“Our team’s commitment to scientific excellence helped make this approval possible, and we are thrilled that our customers in Europe can now use our naringenin to modulate taste and develop the next-generation of consumer-friendly food and beverage products.”

“This clean label ingredient supports natural flavor claims and unlocks new formulation opportunities by improving sensory profiles across various applications — from soft drinks and dairy to proteins, fortified and plant-based foods.”

Natural taste modifiers like naringenin have no intrinsic sweet notes, yet they have a “sweetness synergy” with sugar and high-intensity sweeteners. This is significant as almost all added sweeteners can pose taste challenges.

“They enable a sweetness balance without using undesirable high-intensity sweeteners,” D’hoore previously told Food Ingredients First.

HTBA formulates naringenin through a natural and proprietary process, enabling F&B companies to “strategically uncouple taste modulation from the aromatics.”