When flavorists are looking for the biggest trends, it can be easy to latch onto specifics. Which products are set for major innovation this year? Which specific flavors are consumers buying? While these are important questions to address, focusing on the specifics can often lead a flavorist to lose sight of the big picture.
This year is promising to be a game changer in the flavor industry, regardless of the types of products that a flavorist specializes in. There will be a lot of room for exploration as each new season hits and new products begin to hit store shelves. It is likely that many of the flavor experiments that the market can expect to see will fall within these four major categories, each of which has a lot of exciting things to offer.
1) Fresh Focused Flavors
Continuing the natural flavors trend that has risen over the past several years, flavorists can expect to see even more products in 2014 that are designed to make people feel positive about the choices that they have made. Beverages are one of the largest areas where there is a lot of room to explore with “natural” offerings.
Natural soda beverages are already growing in popularity. While they may still represent a niche area of the beverage industry, it is expected that there could be some break-out hits in the coming year.
Other areas of the industry that do not traditionally focus on offering fresh, healthy choices to consumers are also expected to go all-natural, from snack foods such as potato chips and snack crackers to confectionery treats.
Part of helping consumers feel better about their choices is offering flavors that feel natural and fresh. Expect to find increasing uses of coconut, lemon, and orange flavors.
2) Sultry Sweet Flavors
While other areas are tending toward light, refreshing options, sweet offerings are expected to head toward offering a more sensuous experience. Especially important in the creation of products such as frozen desserts, baked goods, and confectionery treats are sultry flavor combinations.
Blending diverse, flavorful ingredients helps to create the complex flavor profile needed for a more sensuous experience with these products. Examples of combinations that one might expect to see include maple and bourbon, or ginger and caramel. Rich flavors such as hazelnut may also make a comeback, especially when blended with complementary flavor ingredients.
3) Exotic Spicy Flavors
Flavorists can expect spicy flavors to continue their expansion into various realms within the flavor industry. Of particular interest are spices specific to various ethnic and cultural cuisines. From habanero to wasabi, spicy flavors are expected to be big – especially when used in unexpected and innovative ways.
4) Flavors for Spirits
Flavored wine, rums, and liqueurs have already taken hold in the flavor industry. Unsurprisingly, this growth is expected to continue as one of the biggest trends throughout 2014. One way that flavorists can make this trend their own is to find unique ways to combine and mix new flavors. Could mint chocolate chip cookie be the next big hit? The coming year will have to be the judge of that. One thing is for certain – flavors like these will definitely have a lot of competition.