IN Brief:
- Aston University and Mondelēz have launched a research partnership linking membrane engineering with confectionery process development.
- The work will explore filtration methods based on taste receptor proteins to selectively capture or remove flavour-active compounds.
- Early targets include aroma enhancement and bitterness reduction in high-cocoa chocolate, extending membrane science deeper into food processing.
Aston University and Mondelēz International have launched a research partnership focused on applying advanced membrane filtration to food manufacturing, with early work centred on flavour and aroma control in confectionery production. The collaboration brings together the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence, or AIME, and Mondelēz’s Bournville R&D team in the West Midlands.
The programme marks the first time AIME’s biological and industrial membrane expertise has been applied in the food sector. The research will adapt filtration approaches originally developed for water and waste processing through Aston’s BIOMEM and MEMetic projects, with the aim of selectively capturing or separating compounds that shape taste and aroma in finished products.
A central part of the work will focus on taste receptor proteins found on the human tongue. Aston says these proteins will be used to develop experimental filtration techniques capable of isolating specific compounds in food streams. That could support processes that retain desirable aromas or remove unwanted flavour notes during manufacture rather than relying solely on reformulation later in development.
One of the clearest confectionery applications identified so far is high-cocoa chocolate. The partners say the technology could be used to remove compounds associated with bitterness, potentially allowing high-cocoa products to be produced without the need for additional sugar. Professor Alan Goddard, AIME training and industry lead at Aston University, said the partnership is the first to apply Aston’s membrane science advances to commercially viable techniques in food manufacturing.
The work will be delivered through PhD and research projects supported by Mondelēz. While the work remains at research stage, it points to tighter process control over flavour-active molecules through filtration and separation methods integrated into manufacturing development.
