Capturing Nature’s True Taste: How Flavourtech’s Processing Solutions Engineer Better Beverages

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Today’s beverage producers face a delicate balancing act. Consumers expect fresher, more authentic flavours. Regulators demand greater transparency and cleaner labels. Production facilities must meet those expectations under mounting pressure to reduce energy, water and waste. 

For many manufacturers, these goals can seem at odds. Higher quality often means longer processing times, more complex steps, and greater resource use. Yet, Australian process technology company Flavourtech has built its reputation on proving the opposite; that quality, efficiency and sustainability can coexist when process design is approached differently. 

For nearly four decades, Flavourtech has worked with food and beverage producers around the world to improve how flavour is captured, concentrated and preserved. Its technologies are now used across more than 60 countries, from boutique coffee roasters and nutraceutical producers to multinational tea, juice and wine brands. What unites these clients is a shared need: to deliver consistent, high-quality products while keeping operations lean and environmentally responsible. 

Flavourtech’s systems are engineered for modern production environments — flexible enough to integrate with existing lines, yet precise enough to capture the most delicate volatile compounds that give beverages their signature taste and aroma.

The Spinning Cone Column is Flavourtech’s flagship technology and one of the most widely recognised aroma recovery systems in the world. It is a thin-film vacuum distillation column that gently recovers volatile compounds from liquids, purees and uniquely slurries using low-temperature steam.

Flavourtech’s philosphy of recovering these compounds as early as possible during processing and preserving them for later re-addition to the product ensures that the natural aromatic profile of coffee, tea, wine, and fruit juice remains intact. The result is a cleaner, truer flavour, and a process that uses less heat, time and energy than traditional extraction or distillation techniques.

The SCC can also be used for alcohol removal and is used around the world for the gentle dealcoholisation of wine, beer, cider and spirits. Operating in this application at temperatures between 30–45°C, the SCC efficiently removes alcohol while preserving the delicate aromas of the original alcoholic beverage. Production of both low-alcohol (<0.5% ABV) and alcohol-free (<0.05% ABV) beverages without the need to add external flavours is possible allowing manufacturers to meet the growing consumer demand for no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) options.

The Centritherm^® evaporator takes this gentle processing philosophy and concentrates it. Designed for heat-sensitive products, such as tropical fruit juices, tea extracts, functional dairy products and nutraceuticals, it operates with a residence time of only one second on the heating surface. This feature, coupled with low operating temperatures under vacuum, protects colour, flavour, and nutrients. The result is premium-quality concentrates that maintain the original character of the raw material — essential for manufacturers competing in premium and “natural” beverage categories. The ability of the system to gently concentrate products without damaging active constituents, such as dairy proteins or fruit polyphenols, is of particular interest to functional beverage manufacturers. 

The centrifugal design of the Centritherm^® evaporator means it can also handle more viscous products (e.g. honey or mango puree) and reach higher concentrations than other evaporators. In fact, it is often used as a finisher in the evaporation process to reduce process and energy requirements downstream.

For coffee and/or tea companies, Flavourtech’s Integrated Extraction System brings together aroma recovery, extraction, clarification and concentration in one continuous process. Combining the precision of the SCC with other proprietary modules, the IES enables highly efficient, automated production of tea and/or coffee beverages with minimal manual intervention. The IES ensures that the most desirable aromas are recovered and that extracts and concentrates produced are of the highest quality thus differentiating products and meeting consumer demand.

This holistic system is valuable for producers of both instant and Ready To Drink (RTD) coffee and tea, where consistency and flavour retention are paramount. By integrating multiple steps into one line, manufacturers gain both operational control and process efficiency — reducing downtime, waste, and energy consumption.

Traditional beverage processing often relies on extended heating or multiple extraction and evaporation steps to achieve desired results. But these approaches can easily degrade the natural compounds responsible for aroma, colour, and nutrition.

Flavourtech’s approach is fundamentally different. By combining vacuum environments with precisely controlled low-temperatures and short residence times, its systems minimise thermal damage while maintaining high throughput. This is critical and Flavourtech operates on the idea that the best flavour comes from respecting the product’s natural chemistry. This precision not only safeguards quality but also minimises resource use. Lower energy input means lower operational costs and a smaller carbon footprint.

Flavourtech’s systems are also designed for ease of operation. Manufactured with various automation options and clean-in-place (CIP) capability, they require minimal operator labour and remove the need for manual handling. This reduces labour costs and downtime between product runs while ensuring consistent, repeatable results — a key advantage for manufacturers balancing efficiency with product quality.

Scalability is another key differentiator. Flavourtech’s modular design philosophy allows producers to start small and expand as demand grows. Each component — from the SCC to the IES — can be adapted to suit the size, capacity and automation level required. The systems are also capable of processing various products on the one line with quick changeover times and low hold-up volumes. 

This flexibility has seen the company’s technologies adopted by both global beverage conglomerates and emerging niche brands seeking to deliver premium offerings. Whether the goal is retaining fresh fruit aroma for natural juices, enhancing single-estate tea quality for RTD tea products, or refining extracts for the production of specialty instant coffee, Flavourtech’s systems are tailored to deliver consistent, high-quality and value outcomes.

Although the company’s engineering focus is firmly on flavour and performance, its designs inherently support sustainability objectives. Lower heat exposure translates to reduced energy usage; flavour recovery from slurries allows value to be gained from waste streams like peel or spent coffee grounds; and continuous processing minimises water use and manual labour. 

These efficiencies don’t come at the cost of quality. Rather, they’re achieved because of it. By preserving more of the raw material’s natural properties, producers waste less and extract more usable value from every batch. 

In essence, Flavourtech’s pursuit of better flavour leads naturally to more sustainable production.

Flavourtech has positioned itself as a trusted partner thanks to its long history of collaboration and innovation with customers. The company operates pilot plants in Australia, the U.S. and Europe, allowing current and prospective clients to trial processes, validate concepts and fine-tune flavour outcomes before commercial implementation. 

As the beverage industry continues to evolve, producers are looking for flexible technologies that future-proof their operations. Clean-label trends, regulatory pressures and consumer expectations for natural, authentic products are converging, and only those with flexible, efficient processes will thrive. 

By working closely with manufacturers to tailor solutions to specific challenges, Flavourtech has helped clients transform efficiency and product quality. In several cases, installation of the SCC and IES have enabled beverage producers to move from minor players to market leaders within their regions, demonstrating how engineering precision can directly translate into commercial success.

For a deeper dive into how Flavourtech’s continuous processing solutions are transforming RTD tea and coffee, the below white paper explores their technology innovations and real-world benefits for producers worldwide.