What will be the top flavors for 2005?

Pomegranate, 2004's top flavor, is
likely to remain popular well into 2005,
thanks to the way in which food trends
tend to move, slowly filtering from one
market segment to another.


By Frances Katz, Senior Technical Editor

Flavors make up some of the deficiencies of foods that are low in fat, carbs, high in protein, or that contain ingredients that may be good for the waist-line but hard on the pleasure zones. But the top flavors of one decade will change, sometimes radically by the next. What are food developers looking for this year?

Last year’s list of important flavors included bay leaf, chili peppers, cinnamon, coriander/cilantro, lemongrass, mustard, pepper, sea salt, sesame, turmeric, vanilla and wasabi, according to McCormick and Co. Mintel International, the U.K.-based new products surveyor, called pomegranate 2004’s top flavor.

Of course, “bests” of anything don’t change abruptly, so 2004’s top flavor will carry into this new year -- especially since food trends move from the coasts to the plains, and from high-class restaurants to chains and fast food outlets and finally to the home kitchen.

NOTE TO PLANT OPS It’s important that flavors be processed in the manner for which they were designed. Changing heating or cooling profiles can alter the product profile a great deal. Changing temperatures or shear or substituting ingredients in a product also can cause the flavor to misbehave. Handling flavors in storage facilities can be a problem, too. Foods and ingredients stored for long periods of time in a warehouse can change, especially when the other ingredients are sensitive. Especially fragile are some of the lipids the food industry now uses to provide clean labels. Storing flavors before they are used requires a cool, dry storage space, and flavors should be used as quickly as possible.

But it’s gotten more complicated, opines Denise Salisbury, manager of General Mills’ new Culinary Center in Minneapolis. In addition to doing work for the food giant, the center has many clients that are quick-service restaurants (QSRs), which produce family-style food and are situated between the white-tablecloth-lots-of-silverware types and fast food outlets.

“These restaurants are trying to find the right amount of upscale, and are generally developing products that are familiar, but with a twist,” Salisbury says. So flavors have to be fun and novel without being intimidating. “They like almost-cutting-edge, ethnic food done American style. They want their diners to be able to pronounce the name of the food – people won’t buy it if they can’t pronounce it.”

The challenge is not new for General Mills. In addition to being a leading grocery products company, Big G until 1995 was the parent company of the Red Lobster, Olive Garden and China Coast restaurant chains. The culinary center is home to nine chefs, some with restaurant experience, others with industrial, health care and school feeding expertise.

“Diners also are looking for foods to be a little lighter in character, such as yogurt dressings or spreads for sandwiches, maybe with a chipotle note,” she continues. “The QSRs are looking for food trends in the women’s service magazines, not Bon Appetit. What’s in Bon Appetit may be the trends for this segment next year, or the year after.”

So what’s in this year? “Olive oil and olives, maybe a tapenade spread, different kinds of peppers, hummus and pesto. Anything to differentiate them a little is important.” Salisbury notes restaurant owners are asking their supplier companies what the flavor trends appear to be.

Still exploring Asia

Asian cuisine is nothing new to America, but the interest has moved from generic Chinese to regions of that huge nation, as well as to other countries in that continent, especially in Southeast Asia.

The Culinary Institute of America featured Asian cuisine at its recent meeting, including the full range of Chinese from Szechuan’s fiery sauces to the complete flavor profiles of Cantonese to Korean’s garlicky notes to Thai’s lemongrass. Elsewhere, Americans are dipping into and brushing on sauces made from exotic seafoods and mushroom extracts, as well as heat and cooling factors.

Playing to trends in both heat and Asian foods, wasabi became big last year and looks like it will only grow in popularity this year. (Photo courtesy of Kerry Ingredients)

Vietnamese cuisine, itself a fusion of French and Asian flavors, is very popular and is introducing American palates to such flavors as lemongrass, white rice vinegar and fish sauce.

While long a key category in the restaurant world, Asian food and flavors are now showing up in fast food. Salads are a key strategy for increasing the healthfulness of their menus, and most of these introductions feature Asian variations on that theme: more exotic lettuces and other greens, Asian flavors and sesame in the salad dressings, and garnishes of fried noodles and mandarin oranges.