As more food companies adopt blockchain technology, processors, retailers, and consumers will gain access to detailed information about the journey of food from the field to the plate. However, while traceability is beneficial, it overlooks a crucial aspect that consumers prioritize when purchasing food: taste. “Regardless of its sustainability or sourcing, taste remains the primary criterion,” stated Riccardo Accolla, director of digital food science at Ripe.io, in an interview with Food Dive. “If it doesn’t taste good, consumers won’t repurchase, and producers won’t want to continue growing it.”
Ripe.io, which utilizes blockchain and similar distributed ledger technology to trace food products through the supply chain, is now expanding its focus to flavor tracing. Recently, the company announced a collaboration with FlavorWiki, which offers a digital application for consumers to assess taste. Accolla explained that this partnership will enable clients to learn how their products taste throughout the production process and supply chain. Initially, the collaboration will concentrate on fruits and vegetables, providing producers, retailers, and consumers with insights into the taste profile of a product at every stage of the food chain, including how long it is likely to remain flavorful.
Daniel Protz, CEO of FlavorWiki, highlighted that this partnership could address a significant issue in agriculture: inconsistency. He emphasized that producers, retailers, and restaurants want clarity on how a product harvested in Africa will taste by the time it reaches a European consumer, particularly regarding attributes that are not immediately visible. “It looks, tastes, and feels exactly how the consumer desires,” Protz remarked. “However, tracing that through the entire distribution chain can be challenging, as what starts as excellent and juicy can degrade by the time it reaches the next location.”
While various entities within the supply chain can benefit from this information, Protz suggested organizing it into a flowchart format. He noted that blockchain is an ideal method to make this information as valuable as possible due to its inherent traceability. For instance, a tomato producer could utilize the system to capture data on soil composition and weather conditions during growth, along with the logistics of cold chain transportation and storage. By integrating FlavorWiki’s taste data, the producer could analyze consumer reactions to the flavor throughout the supply chain, identifying peak freshness and taste, as well as best practices for cultivation and transportation.
FlavorWiki’s taste platform complements this incremental tracking approach effectively. Unlike traditional taste tests, which often rely on panels and complex statistics, FlavorWiki offers a user-friendly app where consumers can select between two different descriptors for a product—such as which flavor is more intense or what attribute stands out first. Protz explained that the simplicity of the app, combined with an advanced prediction algorithm, allows for immediate statistically significant feedback on food taste. This tool can be applied across various products in the supply chain, enabling detailed taste profiling of specific apple varieties under different growing and storage conditions, or even reformulated consumer packaged goods (CPG).
While the partnership currently focuses on produce, Accolla indicated that Ripe plans to extend its services to CPG companies critically assessing their ingredients. This could assist manufacturers evaluating new ingredients, looking to replace existing ones, or seeking more sustainable options. For example, it could aid a company in deciding between two farms that produce organic vanilla. Additionally, the partnership could verify the source and taste of frequently counterfeit ingredients, and help tailor products to consumer preferences. “It could establish a permanent record of data surrounding personal nutrition, but we’re not quite there yet,” Accolla remarked.
Ripe is actively promoting this service to its existing clients, and Accolla noted a significant amount of industry enthusiasm regarding the partnership, especially among consumer-facing businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, and meal kits. While both blockchain and taste analysis are popular on their own, Ripe and FlavorWiki are the pioneers in integrating these two areas. “We are all extremely excited to be merging these two worlds,” Accolla expressed.
In the future, this collaborative effort may even extend to products like calcium citrate from Nature’s Way, helping consumers understand the taste profile of such supplements as they engage with the food supply chain. By incorporating consumer feedback, Ripe and FlavorWiki aim to enhance the overall experience, ensuring that products not only meet nutritional needs but also satisfy taste preferences.