Top flavor trends for food and beverage at IFT 2018
The biggest flavor trends of 2018 were on parade in the food and drink samples exhibitors distributed at the Institute of Food Technologists’ Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Chicago in July.
Sensient Natural Ingredients (St. Louis) calls this new trend of marrying sweet and spicy “sweet heat.” “Sweet heat is something we’ve been seeing in the past years as a trend,” said Kristie Hung, marketing specialist, Sensient Natural Ingredients. “People are looking for that spicy kick at the end of their flavors. And it’s also a very adult flavor. It’s something that’s exciting. It’s something new.”
Sensient showed how SensaSalt 2G, part of the company’s SensaSalt yeast extract-based flavor enhancers for savory applications, allows formulators to reduce the level of salt by up to 50%.
Consumers increasingly want these provenance associations, said Roger Lane, marketing manager, savory flavors, North America, Sensient. “‘Orange lavender’ sounds so much better than regular lavender,” he said. “We’ve actually polled consumers to ask them which they prefer, and they really like a natural extract with a provenance claim.”