Discover. Innovate. Grow.™
The science of premium™
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Each year our scientists investigate the molecular
components of thousands of natural plant and marine
products and extracts using more than 40 biological
assays. Data gathered from the millions of tests
performed help identify potential new functional
ingredients and inform product concept development.
Our Sensory & Consumer Science Group works with more
than 1,500 panellists, evaluating dozens of different
foods and testing more than 25,000 fruit samples and
over 20,000 wine samples each year. Our human clinical
trials involve more than 600 participants each year and
support both the development of new food concepts and
the discovery of new insights in food science.
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Science through the value chain™
Proprietary, premium foods
and beverages
New Zealand has a strong reputation for delivering
natural foods that meet or exceed consumer demand
for taste and quality. Plant & Food Research develops
fruit, vegetable, arable and marine-sourced food
products that deliver the high impact consumer
experiences that command premium prices in
world markets.
Our science teams understand the components and structure of
natural foods, how these are influenced in production, storage
and processing and how foods interact and affect humans
when consumed. We combine this research knowledge with our
business understanding and awareness of food market trends
– human health, personalised nutrition and wellbeing, food safety,
convenience, novelty and environmental responsibility.
Our research identifies the wellness and health-promoting
compounds within foods and defines their delivery mechanisms.
We then enhance and extract these compounds to ensure they are
available in whole foods, through conventional breeding of elite
plant cultivars, and the development of ingredients and new foods
and beverages. We provide evidence to confirm the benefits of
these natural compounds and our consumer and sensory science
helps to ensure that whole and processed foods reaching the
market meet the demands of the discerning consumer.
→→ New cultivars with functional
wellness benefits
→→ New ingredients from proprietary
cultivars developed for specific
wellness activity
→→ New F&B concepts based on
proprietary cultivars
→→ Alternative uses of horticultural
and seafood by-products
→→ Understanding consumer
purchase decisions and their
application in premium product
development
Functional foods
Discovering the natural goodness in food
→ Fruits and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet. Their nutritional density
offers vitamins, minerals and key phytochemicals in concentrations unmatched
by other food groups, yet understanding the specific components that deliver
health benefits is a more complex challenge, especially given the synergistic
nature of many phytochemical compounds.
Our research is helping understand the chemical constituents of fruits and vegetables and
the relationship between food chemistry and biological function. The knowledge we create
is leading to the development of new functional foods and ingredients with scientifically
validated health claims, as well as naturally healthier whole foods.
By identifying key bioactive components and using our breeding programmes to develop
new proprietary cultivars with naturally higher amounts of the desired constituents, we are
delivering to industry both commercially viable functional ingredients and novel added value
fruits and vegetables for the fresh market.
Benefits you can feel
New thinking in food
→ Discerning consumers around the world are calling
out for healthy, convenient functional foods and
beverages that deliver benefits they can feel. The
world’s food industries are seeking out new means of
capturing value from this emerging consumer trend,
responding with new foods and ingredients to address
weight management, gut health, exercise nutrition,
mental performance and general wellbeing.
→→ stress reduction
→→ immunity
→→ sports recovery
→→ mood
→→ satiety
→→ Gut health
→→ Mental performance
Our scientists are leading integrated research programmes to develop proprietary opportunities
for innovators in the food sector. Our research uses modern neuroscience assays to measure
natural fruit compounds for their effect on classic mood and cognitive performance indicators as
well as biological assays designed to examine sports recovery, gut health and immune functions.
We also conduct human clinical trials in order to develop proprietary ingredients and food
concepts with scientifically validated health claims ready for commercialisation.
Sensory & consumer Science
UNderstanding the consumer experience
→ While food producers may deliver the new and novel food
concepts consumers demand, it is the consumers themselves
that determine the premium these products command.
Delivering to consumers a positive eating experience and
a tangible feeling of benefit is the key to securing premium
value from the market shelf.
The value we place in food is linked to much more than the raw
materials of the food or beverage. Our sensory & consumer science
research is developing better methods for determining how different
factors influence consumers’ purchase decisions. Our investigations
are also yielding new data on the way different people perceive and
appreciate tastes and flavours.
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Our research into consumer responses to new food concepts is
helping food companies target new products in order to increase the
likelihood of customer satisfaction and repeat purchase behaviour.
Plant & Food Research is a New Zealand science company delivering products, IP and
technology designed to grow competitive advantage for clients in the horticulture, wine,
cropping, seafood and associated high value food sectors worldwide. The company has
over 600 specialist research staff based in New Zealand and Australia, as well as global
relationships with leading academic institutions and R&D companies.
Contact: food.innovation@plantandfood.co.nz
Follow Plant & Food Research online:
www.plantandfood.co.nz
The new zealand institute for PLANT & FOOD REsearch lImited
Corporate Office, Private Bag 92169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 925 7000, Fax: +64 9 925 7001