It’s hard to put a price tag on taste. Not surprisingly, it remains the top consideration (87%) for consumers when deciding which foods and beverages to purchase, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation “2011 Food & Health Survey.”

Other motivators include price (79%)—which, interestingly, increased 6% from 2010 and 15% since 2006—along with healthfulness (66%), convenience (58%) and sustainability (52%). But, clearly, taste remains an overriding factor that will make or break the success of products in the marketplace.

“Few consumers are willing to trade taste for functionality, and successful brands in this space must deliver both,” said Suzanne Niekrasz, director of marketing communications, Robertet Flavors Inc., Piscataway, NJ. “This fact is driving flavor innovation in such critical areas as masking agents and bitterness blockers, as well as sweet and salt flavor enhancers.”

Additionally, a growing number of consumers who are increasingly aware of—and are looking to avoid—artificial colors, preservatives and ingredients they cannot pronounce or recognize, have been driving a shift in how companies develop flavor profiles for their products.

“One illustration of this is the conversation consumers are having about ‘natural’ sweeteners,” Ms. Niekrasz noted. “Is HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) natural? Although the FDA has declared that it is, there are consumers who do not accept this, which is driving increasing use of ‘more natural’ sweeteners like cane sugar in product formulations. The consumer is king and their perceptions and desires, rather than hard science, will continue to drive ingredient selection.”

New product activity in the global soft drinks market reflects rising consumer interest in health and naturalness, according to Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights, which has indicated that the most popular health-related claims in 2010 revolved around naturalness and freedom from artificial additives and preservatives.

More than 20% of launches recorded by Innova Market Insights were marketed as free from additives and preservatives, while more than 10% were marketed as natural. Combining the two categories resulted in nearly one-third of total soft drinks launches using either one or both claims.

Thanks to a push toward natural products, alternative sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit (lou han gou) are starting to gain mainstream acceptance. For example, a study by U.K.-based food and drink consultancy Zenith International estimated that worldwide sales of stevia reached 3500 metric tons in 2010, a 27% increase from 2009, taking its overall market value to $285 million. Zenith predicted the global market for stevia would reach 11,000 metric tons by 2014, equivalent to $825 million by value.

Challenges

However, alternative sweeteners, which often taste bitter, have challenged formulators to rethink traditional approaches to product development. Offering healthy products that also appeal to consumer tastes involves overcoming factors such as interactions between ingredients, shelf-life issues and different processing conditions, Robertet’s Ms. Niekrasz noted. No single flavor ingredient can provide a solution to all these issues.

“Instead, flavorists and applications technologists are becoming adept at pulling together flavor compounds that will work in very specific product applications and ingredient matrixes,” she said. “As a result, flavor houses are partnering with brand developers much earlier in the formulation process than ever before. Customized flavor development is of paramount importance, since off-the-shelf library flavors will rarely—if ever—match the effectiveness of such optimized flavor solutions.”

Color, aroma and texture are all very important considerations when developing an overall concept profile, said Jessica Jones-Dille, senior manager, Industry Trends & Market Research, WILD Flavors, Inc., Erlanger, KY. “The mouthfeel of the product (texture) can change significantly based on the ingredients used and ingredients must work synergistically to create a balanced overall product. Sensory testing is important to ensure that the product is not only marketable, but meets a consumer’s expectation for a healthy product.”

Brandon Olson, director of research and development, Premium Ingredients International, Carol Stream, IL, agreed, saying there are several sensory factors to consider when developing a flavor profile.

“The two more obvious elements would be taste and odor, but some underrated characteristics would be mouthfeel, apparent sweetness and actual color of the flavor,” he said. “A flavor used in high concentrations can actually add mouthful, making a beverage appear to contain sugar or fat. Low calorie products can benefit from adding certain aroma chemicals that give the appearance of being sweet without actually adding costly sweeteners.”

Authenticity also plays an important role in meeting expectations of taste. “When our customers receive a brown vanilla flavor or a yellow butter flavor, there can be an almost subliminal confidence associated with using it. The more organoleptic elements we can correctly peg when making a flavor lead to a more authentic profile in the minds of our customers.”

As more consumers look for natural health products that taste good, cost will continue to present a challenge to manufacturers, according to Mr. Olson. “Natural and organic flavors are challenging when starting raw materials are scarce or very expensive. These materials are often dependent on variable weather conditions and political environments, which can cause great fluctuations in price. We overcome these obstacles by selecting the same or similar essential oils from other regions and modify their profiles accordingly. Of course, the advantage of a natural or organic flavor is a very clean label and true-to-the-fruit profiles.”

Tasteful Trends

Consumers continue to look for products with exotic, superfruit flavors, according to Agneta Weisz, vice president of flavors and technology, Comax Flavors, Melville, NY. “Not only are these fruits more readily available, they are also piquing the interest of consumers who are looking for new and adventurous flavors. Consumers are also becoming increasingly aware of the health attributes and antioxidant benefits from superfruits. They want simple and healthy products—good for you types of food and beverages—yet they also need to taste good.”

She noted new flavors that combine novelty with intrigue include Manila Mango, Young Coconut and Finger Lime. “These fruits add a dash of adventure, yet are familiar to us. You will typically see these types of flavors in beverage applications.”

According to WILD Favors’ Ms. Jones-Dille, exotic fruits continue to be important for new flavor creation because they offer uniqueness and have special characteristics in the eyes of the consumer. “It is still important in many cases to blend an exotic fruit profile with a more familiar product. However, we have seen a bit of a shift from pure fruit blends to exotic fruit ‘punches,’ (e.g., Carambola Punch) or to blending exotic fruits with herbs or spices to create a familiar profile.”

In addition, varietal flavors like Anjou Pear and Macintosh Apple will grow in popularity, offering differentiation in a crowded marketplace, she predicted. “Pairing a unique taste with a more familiar taste to create a new flavor blend continues to gain popularity for food and beverage applications.”

Ms. Jones-Dille also noted a trend toward “relating the provenance of the flavor to the health benefit or origin of the featured health ingredient(s).” For example, products that contain ingredients from Traditional Chinese Medicine would also feature flavors specific to China, such as Ginger Plum.

Ms. Weisz acknowledged demand for many different types of ethnic foods that span several continents. “However, while consumers want more diversity with their culinary choices, they still desire the homespun warming flavors that they grew up with, such as Gingerbread and French toast. We also continue to see a demand for decadent flavors like mint chocolate chip and dulce de leche. These flavors are becoming increasingly popular in non-dessert type products such as chewing gum and yogurts.”

But striking that balance between taste and healthfulness can prove difficult. Ms. Weisz said flavors for nutraceutical products should align with the ingredients and match consumer expectations for the type of product they are purchasing. “Flavor, taste and appearance of any food or beverage have to work in concert,” she offered. “For instance, a grapefruit flavor may work well with a sour and bitter beverage. However, this may not be suitable if the ingredients in the beverage make it brown or gritty. In this case, one can use masking flavors to mitigate some of the undesired taste characteristics or use some other flavors that are congruent with the appearance of the beverage. Perhaps a raspberry chocolate beverage would be more acceptable for a brown beverage. If the beverage is gritty, changing the texture to a smoothie with some gums would make this beverage more acceptable.”

Colorful Debate

As consumers indicate concern about the origins of the products they buy, WILD Flavors’ Ms. Jones-Dille said the use of colors from natural sources would continue to replace highly controversial artificial dyes in many product applications.

Continuing a long-standing debate over a potential link between artificial food dyes and hyperactivity in children, FDA convened an expert panel of scientists in March to evaluate the evidence.

Synthetic food dyes like Yellow 5 and Red 40 have been a hot topic since the 1970s, when Dr. Ben Feingold, a San Francisco allergist, reported that his patients’ behavior improved when artificial dyes were eliminated from their diet. A 2007 study from researchers at Southampton University in the U.K. also indicated a link between hyperactivity in children and the food colors. Jeff Greaves, president, Food Ingredient Solutions (FIS), Teterboro, NJ, noted the EU has erred on the side of caution, requiring foods and drinks that contain any of six artificial colors to bear a health-warning label.

However, the FDA panel concluded that existing research doesn’t warrant a warning label on products that contain artificial dyes. “The one study which linked artificial colors to hyperactivity in children was likely not enough to reason a scientific consensus on the danger of (these) dyes,” said Mr. Greaves. “The only way to be certain is with additional, larger-scale, double-blind studies. On the supply side, it is probably for the best, as the demand from the change in the EU regulation has put a lot of pressure on the raw material supply chain.”

Despite the FDA panel decision, debate still isn’t settled, according to Jeff Wuagneux, president and CEO, RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, NY. “While the agency’s food advisory committee voted against having warning labels, it was only narrowly defeated (8-6) and the committee overwhelmingly voted for more research on the subject (13-1). More research is likely to get more media attention and consumers will only become more aware of the potential link.”

Mr. Wuagneux stressed that the panel did not conclude artificial colors are safe. Instead, experts simply agreed there is not enough evidence to conclude food colorings have an effect on hyperactivity.

As research continues to explore potential risks from artificial dyes, there will still be a place for them alongside natural products, said Mr. Wuagneux. “Cheaper, more processed foods will likely continue to use artificial colors. But the biggest growth in the market is in food products with fewer ingredients, especially fewer artificial ingredients.”

The most popular sources of natural colors continue to evolve over time, according to Mr. Wuagneux. “Twenty years ago, the science of natural colors was still in its infancy and many of the colors that were popular then, such as grape skin extract and elderberry juice concentrate, have been overshadowed by other, more stable anthocyanin-based fruits and vegetables. Examples of such colors include purple cabbage, red radish and purple sweet potato. These colors contain more stable anthocyanins, providing longer shelf lives than the original anthocyanin-based natural colors.”

Formulating with natural colors presents major challenges, most notably in terms of stability. “Even though there are more stable colors on the market than there were 10 years ago, they are still not as stable as synthetic colors,” Mr. Wuagneux noted. “Another challenge is getting the exact shade from these natural colors, although that is easier than in the past because of the addition of new sources (such as red radish and purple sweet potato) and the ability of blending colors (which RFI does regularly) to find perfect shade.”

Mr. Greaves said every situation presents a different set of issues to address. “Some natural colors are indicators (i.e., change color with pH). Some of them have poorer stability than synthetics, although some others are actually better. Some are unstable in certain acids, though the same is true for synthetics. Some are sensitive to metal ions. We really address all of these issues by working closely with customers to find the best option in their matrix, depending on the given solubility, pH, other ingredients, etc. It is often a very customized process.”

Price has also posed an obstacle to the growth of natural colors, as artificial dyes are cheaper. However, while price plays an important part in consumer purchasing habits, many demographics have demonstrated a willingness to pay a premium for natural products, according to Mr. Wuagneux.

“The major advantage of natural colors is still the ‘clean label,’” he said. “But a more natural hue is also becoming an advantage. While Baby Boomers and Generation X grew up with the vivid and bright shades of artificial colors, a large majority of them choose not to feed these to their children any longer and avoid foods that even look artificial.”

Offering an example of pistachios, which had traditionally been dyed red, Mr. Wuagneux predicted more products would inevitably make the switch to natural colorings. “This was an ingrained consumer expectation—many of us didn’t even know they were dyed. But today it’s hard to find red pistachios. Somewhere along the way, they removed the artificial dye and consumers accepted the change, and embraced it. Think of all the natural candies that imitate M&Ms but use natural colors, or naturally colored energy drinks that compete with Gatorades. Ten years ago such products didn’t exist, but they will most likely be more popular and more common in the next 10 years.”