Consumers today demand more taste from their food, and in the ice cream category, there is a growing trend for new and exciting flavors, both sweet and savory varieties. Denmark-based Lactosan A/S speaks to FoodIngredientsFirst about emerging trends in the ice cream sector, which are often closely linked to broader food trends such as health, naturalness, sustainability and sensory experience.

“We are well familiar with these trends since they have worked with the application of cheese powders into ice cream products for many years and have experience from projects around the world,” says Heidi Knudsen, marketing manager at the company.

Lactosan’s cheese powders provide a wide range of new possibilities for the ice cream category.Hybrid & product mashups trending
Hybrid flavor innovation is increasingly being used to deliver new sensory experiences as consumers become progressively adventurous, notes the market researcher.

The trend of hybrid products has been gathering pace as consumers favor food and beverages that broaden the dimensions of indulgence. 

According to a 2021 Innova Flavor Survey, one in three consumers globally agreed that interesting/exotic combinations influence their flavor choices in food and beverages. Innovations can feature in areas such as cross-category mashups, hybrids within beverages or sweet and savory combinations.

Hybrid combinations were spotlighted in Innova Market Insights’ 2020 overarching Top Ten Trends with “Hello Hybrids.” 

According to Innova Market Insights, the growth in ice cream consumption in APAC countries is outstripping the rest of the world, especially in India, China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Local flavors such as seaweed, durian and savory cheese ingredients are featured prominently in new product developments for these expanding markets.

Lactosan says that in some Asian markets, there is also demand for cheese-based ice cream concepts, such as Cream Cheese flavor.

The company believes its cheese powders can help create ice creams that “explode with flavor and quality.”

Cheese powder elevate ice cream applications
Lactosan’s cheese powders provide a wide range of new possibilities for the ice cream category, both in pasteurized ice creams and in ready-to-use instant powder solutions.

“Sometimes it is about giving familiar products a modern twist, making an ice cream more indulgent and creamier – or adding a premium claim in combination with storytelling,” explains Lise Hou Rasmussen, R&D application innovation manager.

“The consumers of today do not compromise on taste – they want a taste experience, and we can help meet that challenge.”

Rasmussen sees a preference for the sweeter cheese types like Marscapone, Cream Cheese and the Norweian Brunost.Regarding flavor directions in the ice cream category in Europe, Rasmussen sees a preference for the sweeter cheese types like Mascarpone, Cream Cheese and the Norwegian Brunost. In contrast, in Asia, the preference is for the savory types like Gorgonzola, Cheddar and Camembert.

“With the growing demand for hybrid products and product mashups, we foresee that the trend with mixing sweet and savory will continue,” she comments. 

Novel concepts 
Lactosan has developed a range of authentic sweet and trendy sweet and savory recipes to demonstrate the different taste profiles of its cheese powders in ice cream and show how cheese powder can enhance the dairy and buttery notes and give a new twist to a familiar product.

The company has worked together with Copenhagen University in exploring the science behind the product range: LACTOSAN NCB – Natural Culinary Booster. The range consists of seven specialty cheese powder types, each with its unique taste-enhancing effects. 

It is a new generation of natural taste enhancers, which by nature provide umami, kokumi and mouth fullness effects and enhance taste in a very authentic way. 

They can also provide clean label and reduce sugar, salt, and fat in various types of applications.

“With the growing hybrid trend as well as the growing trend of NPDs with umami and kokumi claims, we can see how our cheese powders can make a difference,” adds Inger Hansen, head of science and technology. 

“We are researching and exploring all the benefits for this range in various applications and are ready to help producers overcome taste and functional challenges.”