The 2019 charts predict that as consumers become more familiar with international tastes such as kimchi, wakame and matcha, the new wave of ethnic flavours from regions including Africa are expected to follow.

As the desire to travel further and wider across the globe deepens, tastes such as gesho and moringa are beginning to emerge, highlighting the demand for tastes that remind consumers of cultural experiences. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Erika Minaguchi, Senior Marketing Executive – Beverage & Sweet Taste, explains: “Within the sweet category, we see an increasing number of savoury flavours such as fennel, seaweed and smoke nuances enter into the category, which speaks to confectionery and desserts.

“Within the cold beverage sector, we see exotic citrus profiles becoming ripe for growth.”

Classic flavours such as orange and lemon are still leading, but interesting profiles inspired by Asian cuisines, such as yuzu, pomelo, calamansi are also showing strong growth, notes Minaguchi.

“In hot beverages, a new wave of plants and botanicals are appearing, with the likes of cactus, carob and hyssop featuring in the emerging bucket.”

According to Minaguchi, chilli profiles will come to the forefront of the snacking category, such as hatch and cubanelle, as consumers look for regional differentiation.

“Savoury is very much inspired by ethnic tastes, as tastes from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia all feature within Kerry’s  charts this year,” she explains. “We see this in regional specific profiles of flavours such as citrus – yuzu and sudachi and seaweed – konbu and wakame.”

Kerry also predicts that 2019 will show growth of botanical flavours across all categories as consumers want innovative and premium products providing emotional benefits.

Floral flavours such as rosehip and pandan have healthy connotations, while also providing consumers with new and exciting taste experiences. With all of this in mind, botanicals are positioned perfectly to answer this demand, says Kerry.

“Botanical ingredients like rosehip, aloe vera and moringa are positioned well as functional ingredients, but also offer another layer of taste to products, these types of ingredients are ones to keep an eye on in terms of flavour innovation,” claims Minaguchi.

With increased consumer awareness and understanding of what botanicals are, outside of floral tastes, we also expect to see an increasing interest in herbs, spices and roots such as black pepper, cardamom and ginger, according to Minaguchi.

“These profiles are associated with health connotations, consumers will see botanicals as a means of having great taste with added value,” she adds. 

With sugar taxes and governmental pressures to optimise the nutritional value of a product, manufacturers often seek new flavour profiles to compensate for sugar reduction.

In light of this, Minaguchi believes “there will be innovation across many categories, but beverages and sweet categories would be at the forefront here.”

“A movement towards savoury and bitter tastes, even in sweet categories, can also be seen across the market, as consumer perception of sugar begins to change.

“Profiles such as gentian, turmeric, nutmeg and thyme have been integrated into sweet and beverage categories and this will continue to expand,” she continues.

“This also plays into the consumer movement towards healthier moments of indulgence, where savoury tastes provide a guilt-free experience, rather than a sweet profile.”…..