According to the 2006 PF flavor survey, 54% of manufacturers say they currently use fruit flavors or believe these flavors “will be in significant use in the next three years.” The variety of fruit flavors in use or being considered has expanded. For example, one noted flavor supplier hailed pomegranate, blood orange, acai berry, fig, Meyer lemon and kaffir lime in its 2006 annual flavor list. But not all fruit flavors fared equally well. Lime and lemon received lower marks in 2006 than in the 2005 survey, when Hispanic cuisines became more of a mainstay than a fad.
Interest in a flavor can grow depending upon the amount of exposure it receives in restaurant menus, new products and food and lifestyle magazines. According to Cara Newkirk, senior marketing manager for a flavor company, a flavor featured in a retail product can progress into the mainstream by first being introduced as a premium specialty product, then appearing in a regional niche brand and, finally, by appearing as a nationally distributed product.