Forward Thinking: Citrus in the Limelight

“Forward Thinking: It’s Citrus” which appeared in the March 2011 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine, explored citrus flavor and fragrance trends. Two years later, consumers still favor tried-and-true lemon, lime and orange flavors. Also, grapefruit is the emerging en vogue citrus ingredient. Nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages remain a popular delivery vehicle for citrus flavors, while fine fragrance shows activity in the use of bouqueted citrus top notes.

Ongoing Orange

Orange juice and orange-flavored beverages continue to be staples among U.S. consumers. According to IBISWorld, orange juice is the No. 1 juice flavor and comprises about 49.7% of the juice market. Beverage Industry’s 2012 New Product Development Survey, published in August, revealed that three of the top 10 flavors used by beverage formulators in 2011 were orange, lemon and lime. In fact, these three citruses remain in the top 10 most-used flavors in 2012 and beverage formulators ranked lemon No. 3, orange No. 8 and lime No. 9. Lime grew in popularity and moved up 12 spots from No. 21.

Notably, 2012 was a solid year for orange introductions, which included Trop50 Red Orange that blends traditional oranges and Italian blood oranges, and GoodBelly Tropical Orange probiotic juice, for example. Taco Bell added to its breakfast menu Mtn Dew A.M. drink, which mixes Mountain Dew soda and Tropicana orange juice. In carbonated beverages, V8 V-Fusion Sparkling fruit juices introduced three flavors, two of which are citrus blends: Tangerine Raspberry and Strawberry Lemonade. Additionally, Orange, Jasmine & Nutmeg has joined Joia All Natural Soda’s flavor line up.

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