Firmenich crowns ginger and yuzu flavors of the year for 2021

15 Dec 2020 --- Firmenich has crowned ginger and yuzu as its “Flavors of the Year for 2021.” The Swiss flavor house notes that immunity and optimism are driving demand for the botanicals. Following an unprecedented year of uncertainty, “they represent the world’s collective desire for strength and renewed hope.”

This is the ninth consecutive year that the company has cast its vote for the hottest food and beverage flavor.

Firmenich’s Flavor Knowledge Portal transforms and leverages over a decade’s worth of data across millions of records on launched products to uncover patterns and trends around F&B innovation activity. 

From this tool, the flavor house sees that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, F&B companies were placing large bets on both ginger and yuzu ingredients. 

If the current growth trend continues, Firmenich estimates suggest annual launches of F&B launches will likely crest over 2,500 worldwide in the coming years, which would place ginger among the top 30 flavors worldwide out of over 800 tracked tonalities. 

Following an unprecedented year, ginger and yuzu represent “the world’s collective desire for strength and renewed hope.”Consumers seek wellness and healing
“It was important that this year’s selection comprises wonderful, unique flavors, but also clearly reflects the real consumer shift we’ve seen,” says Emmanuel Butstraen, president for taste & beyond at the company.

“Our Firmenich Human Insights surveys have revealed that people are looking for more than just great taste from their foods and beverages during these times; they’re placing new-found importance on nutrition and well-being. This inspired us to choose two flavors which can enhance both.”  

Like Pantone Color of the Year, the decision to select the Flavors of the Year was based on emerging consumer signals, adds Mikel Cirkus, global creative director at Firmenich. 

Both ginger and yuzu have gained global, cross-category momentum over the last two years. “Each of them, in their own right, is symbolic of the consumer’s desire for a sense of normalcy and healing.” 

A “super-root” with superpowers?
Ginger is growing globally, and while Hot Drinks is its strongest category, it has recently taken center stage in categories as diverse as Soups, Ice Creams and Sweeteners, according to Firmenich. 

Firmenich’s social media analytics shows the same steady growth, with worldwide searches for this super-root reaching an all-time high in the spring of 2020, following many years of a seasonal peak in winter, underscoring its inherent warming nature.

“Ginger, with its mottled grey peel and rhizome, is indicative of ‘root toughness,’” says Jeff Schmoyer, global head of human insights for taste & beyond.

“People and societies have powered through the greyest of times, and just like a root being pulled from the earth, what emerges is considerable strength.”

Touted as a “super-root,” ginger is symbolic of strength. According to Firmenich’s global quantitative Consumer Insights program, also known as Flavor Emotion360, there is strong global continuity in how consumers perceive ginger. 

A deep and rich origin story 
Ginger originated from Southeast Asia. Today, it remains a staple ingredient in much of Southern and Southeast Asian cuisine and is used worldwide for its health benefits. 

“Across many Asian countries, there has been well documented historical use of ginger in food and beverages for centuries,” comments Dr. Dong-Fang Chen, Firmenich’s vice president of R&D, Asia Pacific. Ginger is already incredibly popular and has been thriving for more than ten years in terms of use as flavor in global launches, says Firmenich.

“Equipped with modern sciences and technologies, we begin to understand functional relationships between natural molecules from ginger and the benefits to human nutrition and health, such as elevated immunity.”

Distinct in its aroma and taste, ginger’s most prominent flavor notes include warm, spicy woodiness combined with herbaceous sweetness. 

These more prominent notes are balanced by a light lemony-citrus zest grounded in a unique earthiness.

Immunity-boosting ingredients rise
Some powerful emotional associations of ginger include power, safety, trust, practicality, energy and revitalization. It is also recognized for its properties to warm, detoxify, aid in digestion and widely celebrated for its unique immunity-boosting powers. 

Throughout 2020, ingredients that support the immune system have been celebrated, and there has been a notable demand for them. 

“In Tune with Immune” has been pegged as one of Innova Market Insights’ Top Trends for 2021, reflecting how immunity and health will steer the development of functional ingredients in the coming years.

According to Innova’s Consumer Survey 2020, six out of ten global consumers are increasingly looking for F&B products that support their immune health. One in three says that concerns about immune health increased in 2020 over 2019.

Citrus fruit strikes appeal
According to Schmoyer, “consumer strengths are matched by the unfailing optimism we have for the future, embodied by our second flavor, the yuzu fruit.”

“The yuzu is an inviting yellow and citrus-fresh symbol of renewed hope,” he maintains.

While clearly more niche in most markets (around one-tenth the popularity of ginger in terms of today’s global launches), yuzu is accelerating rapidly in its innovation rate and social media representation, particularly recently.

Today, this superfruit is most commonly seen in Beverage and Confection applications, particularly in Asia. However, lately, it is showing up across categories, particularly in Savory meal roles, where it adds excitement and differentiation, the company asserts. 

According to Firmenich, yuzu has more than doubled in its use in innovations over the past five years.A “powerhouse” of vitamins and antioxidants
Firmenich says: “Don’t let yuzu’s lemon-like appearance fool you. Like any good superhero disguise, it hides the power beneath.”

Yuzu is unusually resilient, unlike many other citrus fruits, thriving in cold weather. Beyond its flavor and aroma, yuzu’s global popularity is growing thanks to its reputation as a powerhouse of vitamin C and antioxidants.

The yuzu fruit is simultaneously sweet, floral and tart. Its fragrant peel is dominated by floral, green, balsamic and thyme notes. At the same time, its juice is delicate, with more prominent floral characteristics, which are offset by slightly earthier coconut and woody green notes. 

Yuzu’s citrus oil is gently extracted from the peel to create all-natural yuzu flavors.

Firmenich’s master flavorist Philip Curran describes yuzu’s broad appeal and application possibilities. “Yuzu is a wonderfully refreshing, citrusy and fragrant flavor, which tastes great in everything from savory to beverages and even baked goods.”

Tradition meets modernity
Yuzu is believed to have originated in China, eventually reaching Japan well over a millennium ago through the Korean Peninsula. It flourished in the island nation, with which it is most associated today. 

In Japan, yuzu is an essential part of traditional Kaiseki haute cuisine. It is also closely associated with the winter solstice, where the fruit symbolizes sunshine and good luck for the season ahead.  

Last month, Beck Flavors revealed yuzu was among its top key flavors for next year. 

Edited by Elizabeth Green