Culinology - March 2016 - (Page 8)

EMERGING trends "New savory" flavors sliding into sweet ©Adobe Stock/crin It is not accurate to say flavor trends are shifting from sweet to savory, but it is accurate to note the influx of new flavor trends that tend to have a savory positioning. Whether it is beverages or other traditionally sweet applications, manufacturers are striving to capitalize on the consumer's willingness to experiment. "At food service we are seeing beverages featuring non-sweet flavors emerging," said Lauren Williams, beverage flavors North America marketing manager for Sensient Flavors, Hoffman Estates, Ill. "Some of these include flavored waters, cold-pressed juices, shakes and smoothies, and the flavors may range from coconut and jalapeño to peanut butter." Colleen McClellan, director of client solutions for Datassential, said savory flavors became a trend 8 to 10 years ago. "The first movement was salty snacks," she said. "Then it started to expand with bacon everywhere, in ice cream and chocolate. That was when there was a convergence of salty and sweet. You've seen bacon maple donuts, and salted caramel flavored products. 8| Culinology | MARCH 2016 We've also seen things like crème fraiche, which is the savory equivalent of sour cream. That is old school now. It's ubiquitous to see savory sweet desserts." In its 2016 Food Trends report, a micro-trend identified by Datassential is "new savory," which involves chefs taking traditionally sweet applications and turning them into savory-dominant concepts. The market research firm added that the trend is stretching dayparts as such traditional breakfast applications as yogurt and oatmeal are being served for lunch and dinner. "Now we are going a step further and seeing savory desserts, but instead of salty and sweet we are seeing rounded savory flavors," Ms. McClellan said. "You can see it with breakfast yogurt or oatmeal. Why can't oatmeal become something savory or become the new risotto?" Flexible flavor options One such company pushing the boundaries turning traditionally sweet oat-based breakfast items savory is Grainful, Ithaca, N.Y., which manufactures a line of Steel Cut meals in such flavors as pepper, porcini mushroom chicken and Tuscan bean and kale. Ms. McClellan said the blurring of dayparts has been ongoing. "We are seeing people eating sandwiches for breakfast," she said. "We are seeing the all day menu becoming more ubiquitous and giving people the option to eat the way they want." Ms. Williams pointed to consumer concern over the sugar content of products as one catalyst for the growing interest in savory flavors. In 2015, a micro-trend identified by the Sensient was "savory in motion." "We cited a couple of different reasons for it being on the rise," she said. "Health is a big thing and consumers are looking at sugar content, whether it is in their alcohol, sports drinks or carbonated soft drinks. But aside from the health reasons, consumers are just exploring a more diverse flavor palate. "We can see it in the rise of bitter

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - March 2016

Culinology - March 2016
Table of Contents
President's Letter - The right hand side of the page
Emerging Trends - Snack Trend: Think Thin
“New savory” flavors sliding into sweet
Ingredient Trends - Deliciously gluten-free
Dairy Trends - Tapping into trends with dairy ingredients
Member Profile - Recipe for success
Expert Voices - Five questions for Campbell’s master chef
Industry News - Culinology resource book hits shelves
RCA elects new leaders
Local events build Culinology community
Six student teams to compete for top honors
Upcoming events
Petits Fours - Five trends from Winter Fancy Food
Consumers call for more food safety monitoring
Grocery sales soar for breakfast items, exotic meats
News Bites
Ad Index

Culinology - March 2016