From a Plastic Table and a Home Mixer: A Decade of Food Product Development — and What’s Next

By Liran Gruda

More than a decade ago, I entered the world of food product development from a very modest place: a small room, a plastic table, and a simple home mixer. There were no advanced homogenizers or pilot lines—just a strong belief that things could and should be done differently. At the time, the food industry focused on efficiency, shelf life, regulation, and—yes—price, price, price. All of these matter, but something fundamental was being left behind: taste. I saw products that passed production and quality tests but failed to excite consumers. And I always say: “Food must be delicious—if it isn’t, it’s probably medicine.”

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Why Taste Comes First (and Not Last)

When a chef enters the lab, culinary language meets food technology and industrial process: pH, water activity, non-fat solids, sequence of addition, heating and cooling. Instead of 'fixing seasoning at the end,' we design the experience from the start: a precise first bite, clean finish, and authentic texture. It’s not 'chefs versus technologists'; it’s one team translating sensory experience into process—and back again.

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Flavor Masking: Turning a Challenge into an Advantage

In products rich in protein, functional ingredients, or dietary supplements, off-notes often appear (bitterness, metallic, a stringency, unpleasant aftertaste). We analyze the root cause—ingredient, process interaction, thermal condition, or packaging—and then apply precise tools: pH balance, sweetener adjustments (POD), proper emulsification/hydration, or subtle 'shadow aromas' that highlight the good rather than hiding flaws. This builds a natural and clean flavor profile that feels authentic. This expertise serves not only food, but also pharma and cosmetics—because adoption depends on sensory experience.

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From a Plastic Table — to Advanced Labs in Haifa

We started small. Today, at our Haifa facility, we operate advanced food labs with semi-pilot equipment that allow us to move quickly from prototype to production: replicating industrial processes on a smaller scale, measuring, and fine-tuning. We built an ecosystem connecting culinary arts, agriculture, nutrition, biochemistry, and process engineering—not a slogan, but a practice.

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Data Instead of Guesswork: A Knowledge Library

Over the years we have built a unique knowledge base: more than 20,000 formulations, over 5,000 documented trials, and hundreds of flavor-masking and aroma-building formulas. This data saves more than 50% of development time, shortens scale-up, improves shelf life—and most importantly, ensures flavors that are unmistakable.

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The World Calls for Knowledge: Gruda Global

We founded Gruda Global to share our knowledge with the world. We already have development agreements and active projects in Germany,China, Thailand, and Cyprus—with partners who understand that true innovation begins with taste.

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What’s Coming Next Month: A Leap in Equipment and Process

·     Ultrasonic extraction system under vacuum: efficient and gentle compound recovery.

·     Three large Freeze Dryers: preserving color, taste, and texture.

·     Advanced UHT system with aseptic filling: for beverages, proteins, and sensitive colloids.

·     Spray Dryer 15 L/h with atomizer and nozzle: particle profile flexibility.

·     Various extraction systems: adapted for different raw materials.

·     Microwave vacuum drying system: rapid, low-temperature drying with aroma retention.

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It Always Comes Back to the Bite

The principle hasn’t changed since the plastic table and the home mixer: taste is not a step in the process—it is the reason for the process. If you aim for a product that begins and ends with an outstanding bite, we’d be glad to build that journey with you: from the brief, through smart flavor masking, to scale-up and production.

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