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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

aromyx

Aromyx Raises $10M for its Digital Scent and Taste Technology

Sensory data company Aromyx announced today that it has raised a $10 million Series A round of funding led by Rabo Food&Ag Innovation Fund and SOZO Ventures, with participation from existing investors Ulu Ventures, Radicle Growth, Capital Energy and Merus Capital.

Aromyx creates sensing technology that digitizes and quantifies information from the human nose and tongue receptors. The company describes its technology on its website like this:

Through our sensor products, human receptors respond to a given odor or flavor sample and then relay information about its quality—such as whether it’s pleasant, contaminated or toxic. Our algorithms measure and quantitatively represent the raw data in the form of digital signatures. These signatures are uploaded into a central scent cloud, which resembles a comprehensive library of the brain’s own smell and taste associations.

Aromyx says it has created the largest database of human receptors, ingredients/chemicals and real-world word descriptions. Companies developing new food and beverages can test their products and ingredients with these electronic receptors to understand how a person would perceive that product. So a new snack chip placed in Aromyx sensory robot (see above) would deliver results like “smokey,” or “buttery,” or “grassy,” and the product makeup could then be adjusted to achieve the desired result.

It may seem easy to equate Aromyx with other digital olfactory startups in the space such as Aryballe and Koniku, each of which make electronic “smelling” devices. But Aromyx is also akin to flavor combination and discovery platforms like Spoonshot, which breaks down flavors and labels food components to help CPG companies figure out novel ingredient combinations for new products. In its press announcement, Aromyx said that it tested more than 100 products for its customers in 2020 and will triple that number in 2021.

Aromyx said that it will use its new funding to increase its capacity and automation capabilities, improve its identification algorithms and hire out its lab and software teams.

Aromyx’s “Camera for Taste and Smell” Can Digitize Flavor

Have you ever wondered just exactly what mystical combination of ingredients made Coca-Cola have that distinct Coca-Cola taste?

The secret may be locked up in a heavily-guarded safe somewhere (at least that’s how I picture it), but Aromyx could probably tell you nonetheless. Based in Palo Alto, California, Aromyx is a tech company that uses a combination biochip/software system to digitize smell and taste.

To find out the flavor breakdown of, well, anything, scientists put tiny samples of the product into wells on a disposable biochip (called “the EssenceChip”) which contains olfactory receptors cloned from the human nose and tongue. A plate reader will extract data from the samples, which Aromyx’s Allegory Software Toolkit can then interpret to translate into easily digestible (ha) graphs showing the breakdown of smell and taste for whatever substance is in the EssenceChip.

In simpler terms, Aromyx’s promotional video (see below) describes the chip as “a camera for taste and smell” which can take an olfactory snapshot of any food or drink.

Today Aromyx debuted a new feature to their Allegory Software Toolkit. Dubbed Magic Search, the tool can dissect the EssenceChip’s olfactory measurements into distinct receptor responses. In human speak, that means that it can break down every scent that goes into a given product — and, since we know that smell is 80 percent of taste, Magic Search can essentially outline every possible ingredient combination that would create a particular flavor.

Though I’m clearly no flavor scientist, I could imagine this technology being used to “hack” the secret ingredients in popular CPG brands’ signature products. With Aromyx’s tech, CPG companies could easily sub out ingredients to capitalize on taste trends — such as plant-based, natural, or non-GMO food — without sacrificing taste. The company can also help suppliers compare product samples to make sure that product batches are chemically identical and, thus, consistent.

The digitization of food is a quickly-evolving space in food tech. Japanese company OpenMeals is creating a digital food platform which will allow people to 3D print any food they please, from sushi to pizza. Foodpairing creates digital flavor maps that help chefs predict which ingredients will go well together.

According to Crunchbase, Aromyx has raised $5.8 million in funding from venture capital firms as well as Stanford University. If you’re wondering what that smell is, it might be the future of digitized flavor — but Aromyx can tell you for sure.