They look at the available data about the chemical ingredients to determine whether the end product will be safe when it reaches the market.

Already, studies are illuminating the cells involved, and defining the chemical ingredients needed.

It carried out 688 experiments, after weighing up some 98 million possible combinations of chemical ingredients.

The new imaging technique can pick up the characteristic light signature of pharmaceuticals' active chemical ingredients through glass, plastic and cardboard.

The flavorist will use his or her knowledge of the available chemical ingredients to create a formula and compound it on an electronic balance.