Tasteomics receives CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to make healthy food tasty and tasty food healthier
19.11.2025
Tasteomics has obtained CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to develop Peakaroma, a natural ingredient that boosts flavor intensity without adding salt, sugar, or off-flavours. The University of Bern spin-off is pioneering a new approach to taste modulation that enables food producers to create healthier, great-tasting products while reducing production costs.
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Food producers face growing pressure to meet health and sustainability goals while maintaining the taste and appeal of their products. Reducing salt, sugar, or fat often compromises flavor, and existing flavor enhancers can introduce unwanted notes, come with high cost-in-use, or rely on synthetic additives. This creates a strong demand for natural, effective solutions that enhance taste while supporting better nutrition and cleaner ingredient labels.
Tasteomics is addressing this challenge with Peakaroma, a novel botanical ingredient that interacts with the body’s taste receptors responsible for the “kokumi“ sensation—the perception of depth and richness in food. While traditional additives only activate this receptor, Peakaroma is the world’s first kokumi modulator that prolongs its active state. As a result, it amplifies the body’s natural taste response, making flavors feel fuller and more balanced without altering their original profile. This innovation allows food producers to reduce ingredient costs while achieving salt, sugar, and fat reduction targets, preserving both taste and profitability.
The University of Bern spin-off aims to launch Peakaroma in two strategic market segments, condiments and plant-based alternatives, valued at USD 174 and 3.1 billion, respectively. These segments show high adoption rates for flavorings, driven by strong consumer expectations for clean taste and ease of implementation for cost-reduction benefits. Tasteomics’ unique value proposition helps customers meet sodium-reduction goals while maintaining margins, paving the way for broad market adoption. Continued R&D investment will expand Peakaroma-based formulations into additional categories such as snacks, ready meals, and soups.
The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will enable the biotech startup to reach food-grade production capabilities of 10 metric tons per year, which can service up to 10’000 tons of food products. The funding will further allow Tasteomics to expand its team and finalize ongoing industry projects with major food producers and distributors to prepare for a succesful market launch in the DACH region.
The company was founded by Dr. Daniel Batora and Prof. Dr. Jürg Gertsch, biochemists with deep expertise in taste receptor biology and natural product chemistry. After an extensive market validation program, the team identified the most promising applications for their ingredients and successfully tested them in industrial food production settings. Their combined scientific and entrepreneurial experience equips the startup to introduce a new, natural approach to improving taste in the food industry.
“Venture Kick kicked us in a good sense. The demanding feedback we received during the bootcamps were necessary to establish a coherent business mentality, an essential shift in balance from scientific excellence to the realities of the market,” highlights CEO Daniel Batora. “I strongly recommend Venture Kick to all founders coming from an academic background, the program will greatly benefit them in their implementation strategy.”
Research Lead Juerg Gertsch and CEO Daniel Batora
Tasteomics is addressing this challenge with Peakaroma, a novel botanical ingredient that interacts with the body’s taste receptors responsible for the “kokumi“ sensation—the perception of depth and richness in food. While traditional additives only activate this receptor, Peakaroma is the world’s first kokumi modulator that prolongs its active state. As a result, it amplifies the body’s natural taste response, making flavors feel fuller and more balanced without altering their original profile. This innovation allows food producers to reduce ingredient costs while achieving salt, sugar, and fat reduction targets, preserving both taste and profitability.
The University of Bern spin-off aims to launch Peakaroma in two strategic market segments, condiments and plant-based alternatives, valued at USD 174 and 3.1 billion, respectively. These segments show high adoption rates for flavorings, driven by strong consumer expectations for clean taste and ease of implementation for cost-reduction benefits. Tasteomics’ unique value proposition helps customers meet sodium-reduction goals while maintaining margins, paving the way for broad market adoption. Continued R&D investment will expand Peakaroma-based formulations into additional categories such as snacks, ready meals, and soups.
The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will enable the biotech startup to reach food-grade production capabilities of 10 metric tons per year, which can service up to 10’000 tons of food products. The funding will further allow Tasteomics to expand its team and finalize ongoing industry projects with major food producers and distributors to prepare for a succesful market launch in the DACH region.
The company was founded by Dr. Daniel Batora and Prof. Dr. Jürg Gertsch, biochemists with deep expertise in taste receptor biology and natural product chemistry. After an extensive market validation program, the team identified the most promising applications for their ingredients and successfully tested them in industrial food production settings. Their combined scientific and entrepreneurial experience equips the startup to introduce a new, natural approach to improving taste in the food industry.
“Venture Kick kicked us in a good sense. The demanding feedback we received during the bootcamps were necessary to establish a coherent business mentality, an essential shift in balance from scientific excellence to the realities of the market,” highlights CEO Daniel Batora. “I strongly recommend Venture Kick to all founders coming from an academic background, the program will greatly benefit them in their implementation strategy.”
Research Lead Juerg Gertsch and CEO Daniel Batora