The Future of Digital Flavor Innovation

Flavor innovation has always been a balance of art and science. Great flavors are built on creativity, technical expertise, sensory understanding and an ever-changing picture of what consumers want next. 

Today, digital transformation is adding another powerful dimension to that equation. 

Connected digital technologies—from artificial intelligence and predictive modeling to immersive collaboration and data science—are helping innovation teams move faster, make more informed decisions and explore new possibilities. But as digital capabilities continue to advance, the conversation is shifting from what technology can do to how organizations can use it to create a lasting competitive advantage. 

For Benjamin Mattei, Vice President of Intelligence and Digital Transformation at IFF, that’s the real story. 

“Technology should strengthen how we innovate, not simply digitize what we’ve always done.”

“We’re focused on digital transformation—not digitization,” he says. “Technology should strengthen how we innovate, not simply digitize what we’ve always done.” 

At IFF, digital transformation is about building a connected innovation ecosystem where digital capabilities continuously strengthen human creativity, scientific expertise and smarter decision-making. 

Transforming Information into Knowledge

Food and beverage companies have never had access to more information than now. Consumer behaviors shift constantly. Market dynamics evolve. Technical data, sensory learnings and formulation knowledge continue to grow. 

The challenge isn’t about collecting more information. It’s making sense of it.

 “For me, there are three main aspects to consider with AI,” explains Mattei. “Knowledge, prediction and automation.” 

Knowledge Begins with Accessibility

Organizations have enormous amounts of information, but that knowledge only creates value when experts can quickly find what matters most. Connected digital systems help consolidate information across the innovation process, making it easier to surface relevant insights, identify relationships and support better decisions. 

Anne Besnard, Global Director of Cognitive and Data Science at IFF, sees accessibility as one of digital transformation’s greatest opportunities. 

“It’s about making data accessible, readable and relevant for the people who need it,” she says. “The knowledge is there—we’re helping people access it more effectively.” 

Prediction Creates More Confident Innovation

Digital flavor technologies—including AI-powered predictive models—are helping innovation teams anticipate sensory profiles, formulation performance and technical characteristics earlier in the development process. That doesn’t eliminate experimentation. It simply allows teams to begin with stronger hypotheses and explore possibilities more efficiently. 

Instead of relying solely on trial and error, innovators can move forward with greater confidence while expanding the range of ideas they explore. 

“The knowledge is there — we’re helping people access it more effectively.” 

Digital transformation also allows organizations to learn faster. As insights become more connected, each project contributes knowledge that can strengthen future innovation. 

The result is not only greater speed, but smarter speed. 

Automation Opens More Space for Creativity

Automation is the third pillar of Mattei’s framework—but not for the reasons many people assume. He explains that it’s not about replacing experts. It’s about allowing them to focus on work only they can do. 

“Some tasks are manual and repetitive,” says Mattei. “Those are the tasks that digital technologies can help automate so our experts can focus on more sophisticated work and creativity.” 

Besnard sees the same opportunity within sensory science. 

“When we review and experiment, there’s now the possibility of doing more digital testing,” she explains. “That frees up our sensory teams from being part of every iterative process and gives them more time for creativity.” 

As digital capabilities evolve, so does the role of the people behind flavor innovation. Technology can organize information. It can recognize patterns. It can generate predictions. 

But creativity, intuition, sensory expertise and cultural understanding remain fundamentally human. 

The future isn’t about choosing between people and technology. It’s about helping both evolve together. 

AI as a Catalyst for Leadership

Artificial intelligence may dominate today’s headlines, but Mattei believes organizations should focus on something much bigger than AI itself. He compares AI to a catalyst in a chemical reaction. 

“If you don’t know what you’re trying to obtain—if you don’t understand the reaction or the conditions—you’ll simply accelerate nonsense,” he shares. 

In other words, AI doesn’t create strategy. It accelerates it. 

That’s why successful digital transformation begins with trusted data, connected knowledge, responsible governance and clearly defined objectives. Without that foundation, even the most advanced technologies can produce inconsistent results or amplify poor decisions. 

Sustainability is also part of the equation, notes Mattei: “We use AI only when it delivers clear, differentiated value.” 

He emphasizes that IFF’s priority is to use AI when it complements efficient or more sustainable approaches – but not to just use technology for technology’s sake. 

Ultimately, leadership isn’t measured by how quickly organizations adopt AI. It’s measured by how thoughtfully they build the digital ecosystem around it. As AI becomes more accessible across industries, that foundation becomes an increasingly important differentiator. 

AI-Assisted Inspiration with CONCEPT MUSE

One example of this philosophy in action is CONCEPT MUSE. 

Rather than replacing the creative process, the AI-assisted platform helps innovation teams explore new product concepts grounded in IFF’s proprietary consumer insights, flavor expertise and market intelligence. It gives teams more directions to consider, uncovers opportunities they may not have explored otherwise and accelerates early-stage ideation. 

As Mattei puts it, the goal isn’t simply to use AI: “We don’t want to just be AI users. We want to be AI designers.”  

That means building digital capabilities that solve meaningful problems and create unique value—not simply adopting technology because it’s available. 

Bringing Ideas to Life through KALEIDO Immersive Spaces

Ideas become stronger when they’re experienced together. 

KALEIDO immersive spaces reflect another important aspect of IFF’s digital transformation strategy by bringing customers and experts into immersive, multi-sensory environments where ideas can be explored, refined and validated collaboratively. 

By combining visual storytelling, taste, aroma and other sensory elements, KALEIDO helps transform data and concepts into experiences that inspire better conversations, stronger collaboration and more confident decisions. 

It’s another reminder that digital innovation isn’t about replacing human interaction. 

It’s about making collaboration even more meaningful. 

The Future of Digital Flavor Innovation

Digital transformation will continue to reshape the future of flavor innovation. Artificial intelligence will become more sophisticated. Predictive technologies will continue to improve. New digital capabilities will emerge. 

But technology alone won’t define the organizations that lead. 

The leaders will be those that combine digital intelligence with human creativity, trusted data with scientific expertise and connected innovation ecosystems with responsible governance. 

This is business-to-business information intended for food and supplement producers and is not intended for the final consumer. This information is based on our own research and development work and is, to the best of our knowledge, reliable. However, nothing herein shall constitute a guarantee or warranty with respect to products of IFF or its affiliates or information contained herein and IFF does not assume any liability or risk involved in the use of its products or the information contained herein, as conditions of use are beyond our control. Statements concerning possible use of products of IFF or its affiliates are not to be construed as recommendations for any use which would violate any patent rights, regulations or statutory restrictions. Manufacturers should check local regulatory status of any claims according to the intended use of their product.