Food Processing - January 2009
ProducT deVeLoPmenT
acai appears to be firmly established. now other exotic fruits may be moving into consumers’ consciousness – such as yumberry and goji berry.
He noted growing demand for his company’s tamarind and ginger extracts in 2008, which he expects to continue into 2009. Attractive combinations of health benefits and exotic tastes constitute a trend expected to thrive in the New Year. “We have seen the rise of acai and pomegranate, even in combination, as this year’s [2008] flavors,” says Rodger Jonas, vice president of technical sales at PL Thomas (
www.plthomas.com
), Morristown, N.J. “We believe acerola, camu-camu and especially baobab will be the upcoming flavors.” Camu-camu fruit from the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Peru has an extraordinary amount of natural vitamin C, about 2g per 100g of fruit. Baobab fruit, native to Madagascar, mainland Africa and Australia, is rich in vitamin C and calcium and may act as a natural anti-inflammatory as well as an antioxidant.
“These ingredients offer unique flavors and colors,” continues Jonas. “We have begun to develop botanical blends that offer mixed flavors and benefits that target specific areas for functional foods. We now have a line of unique ingredients that offer the opportunity to attack a specific nutritional benefit from multiple mechanisms at the same time. “The clinical science combined with a more usable functional extract allows natural ingredients to make more of an impact in the health and wellness sector while still providing flavor and color,” he adds. “You now have flavor and claims combined.”
Functional, flavor and tradition
Traditional flavors and functional foods are a perfect match, as often the hidden driver behind traditional dishes is health. It’s no coincidence that grains and beans, which are complementary sources of amino acids, are the center of countless ethnic dishes. The same is true of many flavors. Heat may provide a time-honored punch to many dishes, but capsaicin, the anti-inflammatory functional compound, delivers the heat. Ginger, curry, garlic and peppers are at the heart of many ethnic cuisines. All are rich in functional compounds. Our drive to eat flavorful foods is nearly impossible to tease out from an instinct for health. “Authentic ethnic cuisines remain popular as more countries are added to the ever-growing list of global tastes available to consumers,” says Sheri White, marketing manager for the sweet segment at Cargill Flavor Systems (
www.cargill.com
), Wayzata, Minn. “Consumer palates continue to become more sophisticated and adventurous. “To meet high expectations for taste, flavor innovation now includes taking popular and familiar flavors and putting them into nontraditional applications. For example, cake flavors decorate yogurt, and coffee deepens the flavor of ice cream. Sushi and burritos are now made with non-traditional ingredients,” she says. The health halo on superfruits will continue to drive their popularity. Over the last couple years, pomegranate has become widely accepted across the food and beverage industry, paving the way for other superfruits to work their way into products. In 2008, açai made its way into
FoodProcessing.com
36 • Food Processing January 2009
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