Dive Brief:
- Sensient Flavors’ list of the top 8 global flavor trends focuses on "higher level trends," Lauren Williams, Sensient marketing manager, told Food Ingredients First. Researchers spent months gathering information to create innovative flavors for a variety of categories.
- The list focuses on both flavor trends and consumer behaviors, such as searching for their own ingredients with the idea of reducing food waste.
- This year's list is populated by savory and nostalgic flavors, new and exotic flavors, and new spins on traditional products that are falling out of favor.
Dive Insight:
Manufacturers find themselves responding to consumer trends such as sourcing flavors locally and calling on past processes such as preserving, pickling, and canning produce in efforts to cut down on food waste. New ways to use preserved cherry blossoms are gaining popularity in extending the life of produce. Overripe melon is an emerging flavor in the efforts.
"We’re seeing sweet soups and savory jellies [jams] and in the juice category that is facing increased scrutiny for its high and sometimes unhealthy sugar content, introducing vegetable juices has come at a good time," Williams told Food Ingredients First. Chilled soups are also replacements for juice choices.
Consumer tastes are turning toward bitters, roots and craft sodas. Another unique flavor combination to keep an eye on is charred coconut, which combines creamy sweetness and smoke flavors, where the coconut is roasted.
Emerging exotic ingredients include pandan, a nutty flavored product from South East Asia, which can flavor almost any dish; and the Urfa chili, which is making headway in an oversaturated market. The chili is not too hot and is attractive for its subtle flavors, such as raisins, wine, chocolate and even tobacco.