ITS eyes natural flavorings opportunity as vanilla and butter prices soar

03 Oct 2017 --- International Taste Solutions (ITS) has reported rising demand for its cost-effective natural flavorings as commodity prices rocket. The company offers a range of high-quality natural flavorings, including alternatives for vanilla and butter, two ingredients for which prices have recently soared.  

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Marta Comas Marketing Manager at ITS says: “There is a clear move to natural that we are seeing across all market sectors, which has also increased the demand for natural flavors: clean label product launches are increasing and healthier ingredients are in demand.”

Rising demand and a decline in milk production have caused butter prices to double this year in Europe, Comas claims. Using ITS’ butter flavorings range allows bakery and processed food firms to reduce the amount of butter required in a recipe, rebuilding mouthfeel, body and taste, as butter levels are reduced.  

ITS’ wide range of brown, cream and butter natural flavorings work in different product applications such as cakes, sponges and shortbread – to enhance their flavor.  Using butter flavoring is also an optimal solution for reducing the amount of fat in baked goods – in line with healthy eating trends.  

Meanwhile, vanilla is a very popular flavoring as it can increase the indulgent nature of a product while reducing the amount of sugar used, due to its natural sweet notes. It has a complex flavor composition with profiles such as anise, caramel, smoky, woody, creamy, floral notes and fruitiness and other nuances.  

“Vanilla is a versatile flavoring that can be used to increase the indulgent nature of any product whilst contributing reducing the amount of sugar used, due to its natural sweet notes,” explains Comas. “Its versatility can also be seen in the fact that it works well on its own and, at the same time, it can be combined with multiple other flavors such as coconut, mint, strawberry or chocolate. Its natural origin makes it attractive to all those consumers looking for healthier products.”

However, the price of vanilla has also soared to a record high. Madagascar, which produces 85 percent of the world’s vanilla beans, is rebuilding its vanilla vines after a cyclone in April 2017. ITS is seeing rising demand for its wide range of vanilla flavorings to suit the different product applications and flavor notes desired by consumers. 

ITS’ range of natural flavorings, including butter and vanilla, allow manufacturers to launch cost-effective and lighter versions of their bestsellers, without compromising on taste or texture. 

When asked what flavors the company expects to be popular moving into next year, Comas replied: “Natural spices – like ginger or cardamom – are expected to grow, as well as vegetable (pumpkin spice), exotic fruit (yuzu, guava) and flower (violet, elderflower) profiles. Other naturally sweet profiles such as maple syrup will still be on trend and more sophisticated flavors such as smoked profiles will be popular,” she continued. “World cuisines like Indian, African and Mexican spices will also be on demand,” Comas concludes.

By Elizabeth Green