Diverse taste sensations, enhanced mouthfeel and demands for firmer texture are gaining ground as consumer expectations from F&B surpass flavor boundaries. Meeting culinary fusion and layered texture demands while simultaneously reducing sugar and fat in formulations is propelling ingredient innovations, as manufacturers eye a “delicate balance” between organoleptic properties, quality assurance and economic constraints.

Experts say striking the proper balance between flavor and texture is crucial to ensuring a harmonious taste in product formulations.

Textures like creamy (2%), crispy (2%), smooth (2%) and tender/soft (2%) currently dominate F&B launches, indicates Innova Market Insights data from April 2023 to March 2024. Consumers also demand fluffy textures in foods, with such launches growing by 9% in the last five years.

Food Ingredients First speaks to key taste and texture suppliers to understand how nclick="updateothersitehits('Articlepage','External','OtherSitelink','Formulators tap “sophisticated flavors” and hybrid concepts for enhanced mouthfeel and texture stability','Formulators tap “sophisticated flavors” and hybrid concepts for enhanced mouthfeel and texture stability','342222','https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/consumer-trends-global-convenience-eating/', 'article','Formulators tap “sophisticated flavors” and hybrid concepts for enhanced mouthfeel and texture stability');return no_reload();">consumer expectations of “unwavering taste and texture consistency” throughout the product’s shelf life are driving innovations across diverse F&B segments.

“We are seeing interest and desire for new textures and a proliferation of layered, multi-texture foods. The industry is also looking at ways to eliminate waste by extending textural appeal for longer, such as improving shelf life or maintaining crispness,” says Daniel Haley, VP of global texture value enhancement, Texture Solutions Food at Ingredion.

“There’s also a continued drive to clean up label listings and to make the texture and taste of plant-based and better-for-you products as good as or better than their traditional counterparts.”

Texture, in particular, is key in health categories wher significant changes are made to recipes, he says, citing Innova Market Insights’ analysis. However, 30% to 37% of plant-based consumers still believe that the textures of meat and dairy alternatives are worse than the originals, indicating a need for improvement in the area.

Blending familiarity with uniqueness
Maintaining product superiority will be the number one NPD priority over the next four years, Haley continues.

“To maintain and deliver this superior level of product, it’s crucial that F&B manufacturers are refining taste and texture.”

Nanno Palte, group marketing intelligence manager at Puratos, echoes that texture has become a key purchasing driver for shoppers, as seen with products like “ooey-gooey-filled donuts, flaky XXL croissants and ultra-fluffy brioche buns popping up on the market — and going instantly viral.”

“While classic flavors like ‘coffee’ and ‘orange’ remain popular, shoppers are becoming more interested in elevated options like ‘Espresso Arabica’ and ‘calamansi’ (a citrus fruit from the Philippines) to provide an unexpected, complex taste. These sophisticated flavors balance familiarity with uniqueness to keep shoppers coming back for more.”

This complements the trend for ‘culinary fusion,’ which introduces exciting combinations like sweet and spicy, sweet and sour and blends of French, Korean and Latin American flavors.

Meanwhile, ethnic flavors are also a strong driver in many segments, remarks Katharina Burdorf, team lead Product Management at Hydrosol.

“Indian today, Mediterranean tomorrow, Cajun cuisine next week. There are no flavor boundaries. Inspiration comes from holiday trips, but also from social media platforms.”

“The popular trend for chili flavors is celebrated here, for example, with the Italian classic pasta all’assassina. As different as the creations are, they all have one thing in common: texture and flavor must offer an irresistible taste experience.”

Upcycling and sustainability
Haley notes that taste and texture ingredients with enhanced sustainability attributes, like upcycling of materials that have traditionally been side streams in ingredient production, are also an emerging trend.

“This is in addition to new sources such as cereals that have been specially developed using traditional hybridization to deliver ingredient performance without the need for chemical or physical processing.”

However, Mike Haracz, corporate chef and culinary development lead at Foodology by Univar Solutions, acknowledges the growing demand for “sustainably sourced” ingredients and highlights the challenges they pose for manufacturers.

“Heritage ingredients tend to have a larger specification range due to natural variability, making their use in food production tricky.”

“Finding more plant-based protein sources, functional alternatives to methylcellulose, using enzymes for better processing and trying to get even closer to their meat or dairy alternatives are still a goal for many manufacturers of plant-based alternative products,” he adds.

Balancing flavor with price
The taste and texture of finished products are drastically impacted by shelf life targets, storage conditions and manufacturing capabilities, explains Haracz. The value in the F&B space requires ingredient and process optimization, which can limit the desirable taste and texture benchmark of these food items.

“We have been using a variety of enzymes in different product categories, including plant-based, bakery and dairy applications, which provide better product texture, extend shelf life and even offer functional health benefits while improving texture and taste.”

For Hydrosol’s Burdorf, the biggest challenge is to combine health and sustainability aspects with special flavor experiences at the “most affordable prices possible.” This requires familiarity with ingredients and the raw material markets, besides texturing.

“With our Best Ager campaign, we are currently addressing the “healthy indulgence” megatrend - in other words: less sugar, less fat, enriched with fiber and health-promoting nutrients and still tasty. Reducing fat and sugar is indeed a challenge.”

Hydrosol uses carefully seleced hydrocolloids, plant fibers, animal proteins or starches to provide the end products with a pleasant texture and a familiar mouthfeel, balancing the positive technological properties of fats and sugars.

Slashing sugar
Meanwhile, Larissa Leites, product and marketing manager at Sensient Flavors & Extracts, agrees that many countries are seeking to reduce sugar, salt and fat content, whether through sugar taxation or the implementation of the NutriScore system.

The company uses its Trueboost flavor technology platform “to restore the original taste of a product, even after the reduction of certain ingredients such as sugar, fat, alcohol, salt, juice or animal components,” she explains.

“Enhancing the mouthfeel and creaminess of a beverage or ice cream, for example, is easily achievable with this platform, without the addition of sugar or dairy products.”

Sugar and fat reduction is also on the radar for IFF, which uses its Taste Modulation technologies to mask off-notes in high protein and no-sugar products, Rogerio De Almeida Prado Guimaraes, global category director, Dairy & BBC at IFF, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Under the brand IFF FlavorFit, we offer unparalleled modulation capabilities. The sweet modulation flavors amplify the sweetness perception in products with reduced or no-sugar, allowing consumers to enjoy healthier options without sacrificing taste. The mouthfeel modulation enhances the creamy sensation in low-fat foods.”

The comprehensive masking collection conceals off-notes like “lingering bitterness from artificial sweeteners or the astringency” often found in high-protein products.

“On the texture side, we have recently launched Grindsted Pectin Velvet 125, a new technology for premium protein protection, stabilization and texture in low-pH dairy drinks. It provides formulation flexibility and delivers up to 30% of potential cost savings without compromising texture and mouthfeel.”

Citrus and corn for texture
Ingredion also works toward enhancing mouthfeel by tapping into citrus fiber ingredients through its Fibertex range of multi-benefit citrus fibers, which provide “preferred labeling claims while delivering superior texturizing properties,” says Haley.

“The Fibertex CF 500 range and Fibertex CF 100 multi-benefit citrus fiber ingredients are available to F&B manufacturers in EMEA and will be launched in Asia-Pacific and the US in 2024.”

The ingredient imparts enhanced viscosifying power, gelling properties, mouthfeel enhancement and improved emulsion and texture stability over shelf life.

Meanwhile, Novation Indulge 2940 — a functional native corn starch — provides unique gelling and film-forming properties in dairy and alternative dairy cheese, batters and breadings.

“This starch represents the latest in our premier clean label product pipeline, delivering novel texture and mouthfeel as well as natural claim enablement. The ingredient also offers a consumer-preferred “corn starch” label, which is highly recognized and more accepted by consumers globally.”

Meanwhile, IFF taps into microbes to tackle texture complexities in dairy products. The complex carbohydrates produced by the bacteria enhance mouthfeel and reduce whey separation, leading to a firmer texture and contributing to the “creamy, smooth mouthfeel” of yogurt and other fermented products.

“Using our Yo-Mix Prime range, with its Full-Stop pH technology, paired with a toolbox for premium texture modulation, enables producers to offer products with a premium taste experience, unique mildness and texture that persists until the product’s expiry date, alongside healthier credentials,” says Rossana Rodriquez, global marketing director of Food Biosciences, at IFF.

A hybrid future?
Products based on alternative protein sources continue to be a growth market, such as a combination of cultivated muscle and fat cells and plant proteins, highlights Burdorf.

“With the help of appropriate stabilizing and texturing systems, the sensory and functional properties of hybrid products can be adjusted very well, enabling the production of the next-generation of meat products.”

They can help manufacturers achieve the texture, fibrousness, frying behavior and mouthfeel of conventional meat products for a familiar taste experience.

Puratos’ Palte also sees potential in the hybrid concept, which he feels continues to excite consumers worldwide and can drive a shift toward “hybrids that unite clashing textures.”

“Take the cookie dough croissant or ‘crookie’, for instance. It’s about more than just reinventing the classic form. As a flaky croissant filled with chewy cookie dough and crispy chocolate chips that is topped with a crunchy cookie, it’s putting texture front and center,” he concludes.