International influences
Normally made from crustless white bread baked by electric current and ground into fine crumbs, panko is a Japanese-derived breading that is becoming more and more popular in Western cuisine. Indeed, Kraft Heinz Co.’s Shake ’n Bake brand includes a Seasoned Panko coating mix, recommended for breaded tilapia, shrimp or baked zucchini fries.
Panko breading is lighter, crispier and flakier than conventional bread crumbs. Because it absorbs less oil and grease, panko is considered a more healthful breading for many types of fried foods.
When it comes to taste, the coatings and seasonings category is seeing nuanced, regional permutations and combinations of spicy, sweet, sour, salty and savory flavors.
“There has been a lot of interest in Asian flavors, particularly Korean flavors,” points out Karalyn Tritz, a food scientist with PS Seasoning & Spices, Iron Ridge, Wis. “We have a Korean BBQ flavor that is popular with our clients and are also seeing increasing interest in gochugaru pepper and togarashi seasoning.”
From Korea, gochugaru is a coarsely ground red pepper with a texture somewhere between flakes and powder. A Japanese spice mixture, togarashi consists of mandarin orange peel, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, aonori or nori seaweed, and ground sansho pepper.
“One product that typifies international influences is the Smoked Miso Wing marinade and breading system,” Manak adds. “What drives acceptance is consumer familiarity with the system’s components.” Citing Datassential research, he notes that 52 percent of consumers know about the ingredient miso (a Japanese paste made from fermented soybeans) and 30 percent have tried it, while 93 percent of consumers are familiar with “smoked” as a flavor profile and 67 percent love or like it.
Because of the immense consumer interest in Asian cuisine and flavors, Kerry not long ago debuted its Yuzu fillet coating. “Yuzu is a citrus fruit originally from China, which expanded to Japan during the Tang Dynasty,” Manak explains. “Its unique flavor profile has the tartness of grapefruit but also the sweeter overtones of mandarin oranges.”
Besides Asian influences, PS Seasoning is experiencing growing demand for North African flavors such as harissa, a hot chili pepper paste, and Middle Eastern flavors such as Aleppo pepper, which combines a tangy flavor with moderate heat. “We recently launched our Aleppo Pepper+Honey seasoning, which is quickly becoming popular with consumers,” Tritz shares.
Many food processors, meanwhile, are trying to incorporate wellness-promoting ingredients into coating and seasoning mixes, such as turmeric, which is said to have anti-inflammatory properties, and plant-based proteins such as nuts and seeds, ancient grains and pulses, like lintels and chickpeas.
Artisanal finishes
Creating a breaded product that is crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, and full of flavor requires several steps, often including injecting the substrate with a marinade, coating it with pre-dust such as wheat flour (spices and seasonings are frequently added at this stage) and applying a batter and then the outer layer of breading.
Glazes, which typically contain a lot of sugar, tend to be added toward the end of the cooking process to prevent scorching, whether applied on top of another coating or directly to a substrate. One currently trending glaze combines banana ketchup (mashed banana, sugar, vinegar and spices), a condiment popular in the Philippines, with brown sugar, pepper, salt and garlic for use in Filipino-style pork barbecue.
But charring or blackening is frequently a desired effect, one that can be enhanced with the right overlay, which is why Kerry developed its Charred Tomato Fillet coating. As Manak puts it, “Charring is ‘more than grilled.’ It is food that has been intentionally blackened by fire to give it a unique taste and texture.
“Charring or burning food can make a dish seem artisanal or handcrafted, which are important attributes to millennial consumers.”
