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Innovation

Capturing Character: TrueTaste® Smoke and Bourbon Flavor Technology

Looking to deliver cleaner, more authentic smoke and alcohol flavor in dry seasoning formats? McCormick Flavor Solutions used patented TrueTaste® encapsulation technology to help Grill Mates® and Stubb’s® bring smoother, more character-accurate flavor to grilling and BBQ products.

The Challenge

Smoke and alcohol flavors are difficult to translate into dry seasoning formats. Standard drying processes can lose delicate volatile compounds, resulting in harsh, ashy, charred, or cooked notes instead of a clean, true-to-source flavor experience.

For grilling and BBQ applications, McCormick developers needed a way to preserve the nuanced taste of bourbon, oak, applewood, and hickory while delivering bold, balanced flavor without bitterness or off-notes.

McCormick Flavor Solutions in Action

McCormick Flavor Solutions applied TrueTaste®, a patented encapsulation technology designed to convert liquid flavor profiles into dry formats while protecting key flavor compounds. Its gentle, low-temperature process helps seal in volatiles and protect them from oxidation, supporting accurate-to-character profiles, cleaner aromatics, and longer shelf-life.

For McCormick® Grill Mates® Bourbon & Oak Naturally Flavored with Other Natural Flavors Seasoning, developers used TrueTaste Bourbon and TrueTaste Oak to deliver an epic balance of sweet, savory, smoky, and bourbon-inspired flavor. The technology helped create a smoother oak smoke profile and more authentic bourbon character across home cooking applications.

For Stubb’s® Rubs, TrueTaste delivered on Applewood Smoke and Hickory Smoke profiles, helping bring bold BBQ flavor with rich smoke, spice, and signature Texas kick.

The Result

TrueTaste® helped Grill Mates® and Stubb’s® deliver more authentic smoke and alcohol flavor in dry seasoning and rub formats. By retaining key volatile compounds, the technology made the taste of the wood more predominant while reducing harshness, ashy bitterness, and charred off-notes.

 

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