Plant-based flavors for 2020? Botanicals and hemp-derived ingredients making waves

20 Dec 2019 --- Today’s adventurous consumers are highly receptive to hybrid products that are blending ingredients, combining food types and mixing flavor profiles, which is particularly interesting for flavor houses. In 2020 and the years beyond, flavors will significantly evolve with respect to functional attributes as well as taste profiles. FoodIngredientsFirst takes a closer look at the flavors expected to be trending in the coming year.

A clean appeal in flavors
For Agneta Hoffmann, Marketing Team Leader at Bell Flavors and Fragrances, flavors need to provide taste solutions for sugar reduction, masking off-notes, salt reduction and so on. “This creates further opportunities for the future of food, based on sustainability and consumer needs for more natural products and clean labeling,” she explains. 

Future opportunities will mainly come from the plant-based food and beverage segment. Based on a considerable market dynamic for alternative proteins on a global scale, not only meat alternatives will see a respective growth, but also dairy-free white products, Hoffmann notes. “The main purpose for flavors within this market area is to maintain key taste characteristics and deliver authentic taste profiles, such as roasted meat and other culinary profiles or creamy, milky and fresh characteristics. Covering off-notes of various types of protein equally plays a major role in developing indulgent products,” she adds. 

Anu Fisher, Marketing Analyst at Flavorchem, says that “2020 will see a continued rise in natural and organic flavors brought on by the clean-living trend.” Consumers, especially the millennial and Gen Z generations, are increasingly focused on reading labels and knowing how and where ingredients are sourced in their food and beverage products. “Manufacturers are continuing to develop more natural formulations and brands realize that consumers are willing to pay a premium if they know flavors are organic and sustainably sourced,” she explains to FoodIngredientsFirst.  

Growth in the combination of healthy-eating, global inspiration and botanical influences are expected to star in 2020. “While consumers will continue to focus on maintaining a balanced diet, they are also looking for ingredients and flavors to feed their physical and mental well-being. Ingredients known to have Ayurvedic health benefits that also impart flavor, such as turmeric, cardamom and cumin, will become more prevalent in mainstream food and beverage products,” she adds. 

Blooming botanicals 
Herbal notes traditionally associated with infusions, such as tea or yerba maté, are increasingly used for flavoring food. In this area, Kevin Bangratz, Marketing Researcher at Prova, says that yerba maté takes part in the flavors from Latin America that have the most potential in the food industry. “Indeed, the taste of yerba maté can be finely used in chocolates or bakery products. Regarding tea and tea flavors, Earl Grey is still among the tastes that consumers are looking for. In addition, matcha green tea is still highly popular in Asian countries and remains a major trend globally. We see more and more products using black tea, white tea, or yellow tea, which bring diversity to infusions. Pu’erh tea, a traditional fermented tea from China, is becoming more well known in Western countries and some brands now use it to flavor their products. All these examples show that botanical notes are not only growing – they are also diversifying,” he comments.

Regine Lueghausen, Vice President for Global Marketing, at Symrise, highlights the growing interest in botanicals as flavors. “Hibiscus and ginger are two stand out ingredients for us currently,” she says. “Both form an integral part of many local traditions. Hibiscus is well established in many North African and Southeast Asian markets. Ginger has been an integral part of UK drinks for some time, such as ginger ale or ginger beer. Right now, we see an increased interest in ginger around the globe,” Lueghausen affirms. “This originates from its utilization in mixes and popular alcoholic drinks like Moscow Mules, or as part of detox drinks, in which consumers appreciate ginger due to its cleansing properties.”

For Hoffmann, botanical extracts are more frequently influencing product developments within the non-alcoholic beverage category. “If its near water, flavored water, or infused water – all sub-categories focus on using botanicals to address consumer groups shifting from drinks with a high sugar content to more natural and less sweet options,” she continues. “Hence, opportunities can be found in herbal varieties that comprise a more bitter taste or combinations with mint, tea leaves, mild spices or floral notes, for example. Changing EU-regulations based on organic-certified products will also lead to an increasing focus on organic-certified flavors and botanical extracts for use in non-alcoholic beverages, Hoffmann notes.

Highs for hemp
The current growth of hemp-based product developments across all product segments within the global F&B industry and the buzz around cannabidiol (CBD) is likely to fuel product innovations in 2020. That is according to Hoffmann. “The recent popularity of hemp can be attributed to consumers’ growing interest in following plant-based and free-from diets,” she says. “Moreover, hemp has gained high importance due to its nutritional benefits: Hemp seeds are particularly marketed as a superfood, thanks to their high omega 3 and 6 content along with highly digestible protein comprised of all essential amino acids.” Together with the consumers’ aspirations for hemp as a superfood, its characteristic herbal and floral notes are also creating high interest and lend a signature taste profile to a variety of applications such as non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, baked goods and confectionery products and even sauces, condiments and marinades. 

“The use of hemp extracts further underlines the better-for-you and at the same time premium appeal and creates depictional advantages. Both hemp flavors and extracts will, therefore, be seen in an increasing variety of product launches within the upcoming year,” Hoffmann asserts. 

Lueghausen also agrees with this notion. “We expect hemp to dominate the taste arena in 2020. Apart from CBD, the non-psychoactive parts of hemp have been approved for non-medicinal use in edibles in various states of the US. At the same time, hemp serves as a general flavor profile in a wide variety of product end uses, ranging from snacks such as protein bars and candies, as well as baked goods and beverages,” she concludes.

By Elizabeth Green