Discover. Innovate. Grow.™ The science of premium™ Functional foods Health Stress reduction Immunity Sports recovery Gut health Mood Satiety performance Ingredients Flavours Food safety Novelty Sustainability Functional foods Health eduction Immunity Sports recovery Gut health Mood Satiety Mental performance Ingredients F Food safety Novelty Sustainability Functional foods Health Stress reduction Immunity Sports r Mental h Stress Flavours recovery 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. ba r sn ac k 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. ALJ | 06/13 | J003567 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