New Trends in Beverage Flavours
When beverage formulators think of flavors, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla often jump to mind. However, new trends are focusing on functional flavors that deliver nutrients and compounds that promote sleep or provide energy.
These flavors can be combined with Gaio tagatose to create low-calorie products. Examples include Natural Horchata Flavor, which combines cinnamon and rice notes, and Natural Honey Cinnamon Flavor.
Citrus oils
The citrus family of oils have a light and bright aroma, perfect for the summer months. But they can also be used throughout the year to add a fresh, summery flavor and fragrance to a wide variety of beverages including sparkling water, carbonated soft drinks, juices, teas and more.
In addition, many of these Beverage Flavours oils have been shown to provide emotional and functional benefits such as the ability to enhance mood or relieve stress. These properties are important in the beverage market where consumers seek beverages that have added value for their lifestyles.
Food grade citrus oils are a natural way to add flavor and fragrance to sweet or savory recipes such as cakes, cookies, sauces, marinades and more. They are concentrated which means a little goes a long way. They make great substitutes for traditional alcohol based extracts.
These oils are rich in limonene which is known to promote physical and emotional well-being. It is believed that the uplifting aromas can help alleviate depression and anxiety by working directly on brain chemicals to improve mood. Moreover, these oils can be used as room sprays to remove unpleasant odors in homes and offices. They can also be inhaled through a diffuser to boost energy levels. Be careful, though, because many of these oils are phototoxic so should not be exposed to sunlight after application.
Fruits
Fruit flavours are popular in a wide range of beverages. They can be used alone or in combination with other ingredients to create unique flavours. These products can also provide a range of health benefits. For example, grapes contain resveratrol, which is thought to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Domestic and exotic fruits offer beverage-makers exciting opportunities for new flavors. They can be added to beverage formulations in a variety of ways, such as in flavor blends or as natural colorants. These ingredients can also be used to impart a specific taste profile, such as citrus or tropical.
According to Mintel’s Global New Product Database 2022, tropical flavours are appearing much more frequently in the soft drink and alcoholic beverage categories, as well as in the emerging low/no alcohol space. They are joined by cocktail flavours and sweet dessert-inspired flavours, both of which appear in the RTD premium adult beverages category.
The use of botanicals and adaptogens in beverage flavor development is a growing trend, driven by modern consumers’ interest in wellness attributes. These ingredients can add functional qualities that support physical and mental wellbeing, such as stress reduction, immune system function, or cognitive focus.
Vegetables
Vegetables are another category that offers beverage formulators exciting new opportunities to create delicious, natural flavors. Whether as a base or an ingredient, vegetable flavorings can add a whole new dimension to products by covering three trends at once: health, naturalness, and functional benefits.
Unlike fruits, which are sweet and often juicy, many vegetables have a more bitter taste in their raw form. To help counter this challenge, vegetable ingredients can be used to give beverages a more savory, complex flavor profile. Vegetables can also be used to provide additional texture and a feeling of fullness in the mouth.
The good news is that with a little creativity, it’s possible to make almost any vegetable taste great. You just need to add something that Beverage Flavours contrasts or heightens the vegetable’s other attributes, such as texture, aroma, or sourness. Vegetables can be made tastier by adding salt, sugar, or black or white pepper; acids like lemon juice or vinegar; herbs; and spices.
Increasingly, consumers are seeking out drinks with added nutritional value. To meet these needs, functional drink brands are relying on their large toolbox of vegetable ingredients. These include ginseng root (energy boost), turmeric (anti-inflammatory), reishi mushrooms (immune support and stress reduction), as well as other natural extracts. Many of these can also be used as a natural colorant.
Spices
We all know spices and herbs can add a depth of flavor to food, but they can also bring something unique and distinctive to drinks. And today’s drinkers are looking for beverage products that stand out in a crowd and match their lifestyle and values.
Herbs and spices are often easy to incorporate into beverages. They can be muddled directly into the liquid, or whole spices can be infused to create a syrup or infusion. They can even be added to salts and sugars to rim cocktail glasses and transform the taste of a drink.
Spicy and warming herbs like ginger, nutmeg and cloves are popular, while cardamom is also making its way into modern mixology as an ingredient in cocktails and coffee drinks such as masala chai and Turkish coffee. You can find it in a variety of recipes, including the spiced pomegranate martini and a mulled gin and tonic.
The spice rack is a treasure trove of inspiration when it comes to creating a drink that can capture the imagination and transport you to another place or time. A sprinkling of pepper can up the ante on the tried and true lemonade or gin and tonic, while lavender can add verve and a botanical element to a summery strawberry daiquiri. Alternatively, a pinch of saffron can turn an everyday sloe gin into a wintery berry treat.