This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Prepared Foods logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Prepared Foods logo
  • Home
  • Trends
    • 2020 Trends
    • 2019 Trends
    • 2018 Trends
  • Products
    • Bakery
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast, Cereals & Bars
    • Cannabis
    • Dairy
    • Meals & Sides
    • Meat, Poultry & Seafood
    • Sauces & Marinades
    • Snacks & Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Food & Beverage Product Videos
  • Ingredients
    • Phosphates & Acidulants
    • Antioxidants & Nutritionals
    • Batters, Breading & Coatings
    • Cheese, Sauces & Bases
    • Colorings
    • Dietary Fiber
    • Emulsifiers, Fat & Oils
    • Flavors, Seasonings, Spices
    • Flours, Grains, & Pasta
    • Fruits, Vegetables and Nuts
    • Gums & Starches
    • Proteins & Enzymes
    • Sweeteners
  • Formulation
    • Allergens & Intolerance
    • Gluten Free
    • Authentic & Ethnic
    • Calorie Reduction
    • Cost Reduction
    • Fat Reduction
    • Organic & Natural
    • Shelf Stability
    • Sugar & Sodium Reduction
    • Weight Management
    • Vegetarian
    • R&D Lab Tech / QA-QC / Food Safety
  • Better for You
    • Functional New Products
    • Functional Ingredients
    • Functional Benefits
  • Food Master
  • Multimedia
    • Favorite Products Poll
    • Videos
    • Image Galleries
    • Interactive Spotlight
    • Polls
  • More
    • eNewsletter Archives
    • Events
      • New Product Conference
      • Spirit of Innovation Awards
      • Industry Events
      • Webinars
    • Prepared Foods Store
    • White Papers
    • First Person Q&A
    • 19 Product Development Resources
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Editions
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
Home » Flavor Trumps All
Organic & NaturalRegulations & ClaimsFlavors, Seasonings & Spices

Flavor Trumps All

cherries
breakfast bar
fruit chart
cherries
breakfast bar
fruit chart
May 21, 2012
David Feder , RDN
KEYWORDS food policy / shopper trends / vinegar
Reprints
No Comments
Health, convenience, functional attributes and other qualities are in high demand by consumers, but food and beverages still must taste good. Food processors need to be able to incorporate all the things customers want—while never forgetting that flavor trumps all. Presenters at Prepared Foods’ R&D Seminars offered some tips.

Nutrition Trends, Food Policy Shape Ingredient Decisions

May 2012/Prepared Foods -- Current food culture may be polarized, but flavor is always king. Taste is a top priority above price, healthfulness, convenience and sustainability, according to a 2011 food and health survey. Since 2009, “sour” as a flavor profile has been gaining attention, and the flavors of two superfood ingredients—cayenne and tart cherry—have been packing a multi-layered punch.

In 2010, it was roasted ginger and rhubarb that provided exciting layers of spicy and sour, with warming notes and a powerful tang. Then, 2011 saw the dynamic pair of pickling spice and rice vinegar, with bright layers of tang and spice. In 2012, grapefruit and red pepper (a new take on lemon pepper) and sweet soy with tamarind and black pepper (sweet-and-sour with a spicy heat) hit the flavor forecast trends.

These and other trends were the topic of the Prepared Foods’ R&D Seminar titled, “Ingredient Selection: How Nutrition Trends and Food Policy Shape Ingredient Decisions,” co-presented by Wendy Bazilian, Dr.P.H., R.D., and Jeff Manning, chief marketing officer (CMO) of the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Also driving new products and menus are American regional flavors. The Food Marketing Institute’s 2010 “U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends” disclosed that 71% of consumers buy local (if they are aware of it) in their supermarket, and 63% of casual-dining establishments offer locally sourced produce.

Health is still gaining in importance, but flavor remains a top priority. Health is seen as a reward, where many Americans view good health as a status symbol. Consumers think of food as a means of health and part of their personal identity, and nearly two thirds (66%) believe the food they eat makes a statement about their personal values. Health is also seen as an individually accountable factor, with 65% of Americans focused on prevention. Today’s nutrition continuum extends from, on the one hand, less processed/fewer ingredient foods, to more functional foods, fortified with “added value” ingredients.

“Less processed” includes fresh, natural, no preservatives, few-and-familiar ingredients, plus a “made like I’d make it” aspect—foods that are inherently healthy and naturally functional.

“Functional” includes foods that are engineered and fortified, or value added, with meaningful benefits—i.e., ailment-specific attributes or health-engineered. Those foods and ingredients that are inherently healthy are considered a sweet spot for ingredients that do both—as the preference is for naturally nutrient-rich foods that also provide benefits—like tart cherries.

“‘Functionally natural’ is the new ideal,” explains Bazilian.  Nutritional attributes that are now in demand include those for digestive health; intrinsic health benefits that are also convenient; joint health; improving energy; inclusion of fruits and superfruits; antioxidants; foods that assist with weight management; healthy snacking; and those that support healthy bones and movement.

Antioxidant-rich foods show no sign of slowing down; food and beverages carrying an antioxidant claim topped $1.9 billion in 2009, up 29% from the previous year. Flavanoids, the parent category of anthocyanins found in tart cherries, and polyphenols—both found in chocolate and red wine—were among the first phytochemicals to reach mainstream status. When Welch’s Grape Juice began touting its naturally high polyphenol content in 2009, it enjoyed the highest sales in its 120-year history. With superfruits in demand, plus dietary mandates, the rest of the food industry is getting on board.

In February and March 2010, Manning conducted 17, 40-minute telephone interviews with high level R&D managers who make ingredient decisions. He learned that 14 of the 17 had used tart cherries in either dried, frozen or juice/concentrate form. He also noted that ingredient decisions are made early in the product development process, based on benefits and flavor profiles.

Most fruit decisions are driven by the product concept and the underlying consumer need. Top-of-mind factors influencing fruit-ingredient decisions are: consumer appeal (including flavor, taste), quality, availability and cost. Tart cherries are perceived as an emerging ingredient that currently is underutilized and underleveraged, yet with unique and distinctive flavor. Recently, Nestle released Cherries Raisinets, showing a strong confirmation of the utility and appeal of tart cherries as an ingredient.

“Consumers are increasingly aware of cherries’ antioxidant profile,” summarizes Manning, “but tart cherries still need full acceptance as a mainstream ingredient.”

 “Ingredient Selection: How Nutrition Trends and Food Policy Shape Ingredient Decisions,” Wendy Bazilian, Dr.P.H., R.D., and Jeff Manning, CMO of the Cherry Marketing Institute, 517-699-4264, www.choosecherries.com

—Summary by Elizabeth Pelofske, Contributing Editor

 

New Item Process—Functions and Dependencies

An applications lab presented at the Prepared Foods’ 2011 R&D Seminars by Jeannie Swedberg, director of business development for Tree Top Inc., describes the phases the company goes through in realizing a product from concept to production, while preserving flavors and organoleptic parameters.

Walking through the new item development process in her seminar, “New Item Process—Functions and Dependencies,” Swedberg described the phases the processing team typically goes through and the key players involved.

In Phase One, the marketing team focuses on market trends via consumer insights and sets up a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). At Phase Two, the R&D team is developing analytic parameters, formulae, process parameters—and it even determines prospective shelflife. The team also works on everything from physical specifications to pallet patterns, as the quality assurance (QA) group feeds in with case coding, item classification and country-of-origin considerations, and the operations team establishes and coordinates a production plan.

Phase Three finds QA focusing on determining nutrition labeling needs, and the resource master requirements are determined by the financial side. At this phase, the purchasing team will focus on packaging resource issues. Phase Four has marketing fielding the pricing request, while customer service sees to freight considerations. By this phase, plant ops has a production model in the works. In Phase Five, customer service has moved on to establishing pricing, while the finance team is tasked with creating a financial model.

As an example, a “Formulation Experiment” was showcased with the “Project Scope Definition and Concept Sheet” for developing a snack bar with the following features:

• All-natural ingredients

• Low-sodium

• Good source of fiber

• Fewer than 100 calories per 23g bar

• Heart-health formula

• Contains 30% fruit

• Naturally sweetened with fruit juice

• Kosher

• Other… (price-point defined)

From here, Swedberg discussed the considerations and qualifications for making “all natural” claims. While it is true there is no official U.S. government definition for the term “natural” pertaining to the food industry, the FDA does refer to natural ingredients as “ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.” The Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients defines a natural product as a “product that is derived from plant, animal or microbial sources, primarily through physical processing, sometimes facilitated by simple chemical reactions, such as acidification, basification, ion exchange, hydrolysis and salt formation, as well is microbial fermentation.” The overall goal, Swedberg noted, is “clean, short labels with ‘Mom can understand’ ingredients.”

Further discussion included explanations of the Sodium Labeling Guide and FDA fiber claims.

In a snack mix using fruit, one also must consider the water activity of ingredients. Matching water-activity values can help limit moisture migration within a food product made with different ingredients. For example, if fruit of a higher water activity is packaged with Chex mix of a lower water activity, the water from the fruit will migrate to the Chex mix over time, resulting in hard fruit and soggy mix.

Swedberg discussed the necessary calculations for formulating for a fruit-content claim when using various forms of dried fruit products (i.e., apple) under several categories of water content for the final ingredient form. (See chart “Formulating a Fruit Claim.”)

When using fruit juice as a natural sweetener, it was noted that certain differences apply. Fructose, approximately 20% sweeter than sucrose, is abundant in fruits, as are other sugars. For example, a single-strength apple juice contains approximately 5.9% fructose, 2.7% sucrose and 2.0% other sugars. Many consumers consider fruit juice a natural alternative to processed sugar, and some manufacturers use juice concentrates as sweeteners to make a claim on the front panel.

In a recap of the steps for consideration in formulation, Swedberg noted to: 1) define scope and objectives; 2) find starting formula vendor website; 3) source ingredients; 4) use vendors as project support; and 5) develop first-round product pilots.  pf

 

“New Item Process—Functions and Dependencies,” Jeannie Swedberg, director of business development, Tree Top Inc., 509-698-1430, Jeannie.Swedberg@treetop.com, www.treetop.com  

Subscribe to Prepared Foods

Recent Articles by David Feder

The Cutting Edge Science and Technology of Food Oil Production

Cheese Hits the Spot

Paradigm Shifts in How Consumers and Product Developers Understand and Use Food Ingredients

Cheese has a Solid Place in Today's Health and Diet Trends

Misinformation in the Field of Nutrition

David-feder-200x200

David Feder, RDN, has been a food, nutrition and health journalist for 26 years. In spite of an academic background that began with psychology and biblical archaeology, David cut his teeth as a celebrated chef in Texas during the 1970s and 1980s, helping pioneer haute-health & fusion cuisines in high-end restaurants and hotels. In the 1990s he became a registered dietitian while completing research and coursework toward a Ph.D. in nutrition biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. Along the way he taught food science and nutrition while practicing as a nutrition counselor.

Related Articles

Healthfulness, Flavor and Food Safety

Top Research Chef Explores the Technical Side of Several Hot Flavor Trends

The Future of Curry-Flavored Foods

Flavorful Fake-outs

Related Events

International Spice Conference 2020

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • Prepared Foods eNewsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Innova_StreetCouple_900

Innova Market Insights Top Trends for 2020

SFA_900

2020 Food Trend Predictions

Cannabinoids Molecules Graphic

Beyond CBD and THC: Other cannabinoids offer possibilities for cannabis edibles

BlueDiamond_Pickle_900

Blue Diamond Spicy Dill Pickle Almonds

Fi_Ni_900

Fi Europe & Ni Opens in December

Prepared Foods Favorite Products Poll

Events

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

BEST SNACKS OF 2019

Which is your favorite snack launch from 2019?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Accelerating New Food Product Design and Development, 2nd Edition

Accelerating New Food Product Design and Development, 2nd Edition

See More Products

Prepared Foods

Prepared Foods December 2019 Cover

2019 December

Check out the December 2019 issue of Prepared Foods, featuring food and beverage industry trend predictions for 2020!

View More Create Account
  • More
    • Want More
    • Connect
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • New Product Submission Form
    • Food & Beverage Brands
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey And Sample
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
    • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing