Bell Flavors & Fragrances Europe has revealed its flavor trends for 2015 divided into two categories: the flavor comfort zone and the flavor innovation zone.
In the flavor comfort zone, the differentiation of citrus profiles is a global trend for 2015 whether it is for sweets, drinks or aromatic foods like sauces and snacks, according to Bell. Examples include the dominating role of orange and lemon flavors in soft drinks and sweets such as fruit gums, ice cream and chocolate candy. Flavor innovations can be found in blood orange, tangerine and grapefruit. In
Bell’s second category, the flavor innovation zone, the company said taste profiles are becoming more sophisticated and FMCG producers are polarizing more often. Bell has created special bitter applications that fulfill clean label restrictions and can be labeled as natural extract. Within the next few years, the confectionery market is projected to offer inspirations from desserts like crème brûlée or tiramisu, as they conquer chocolate and chocolate filling products and gain more and more attention, according to Bell.
A second significant trend Bell predicts is the use of floral notes, especially when combined with Marc-de-Champagne-fillings, which creates an impression of wine-cocktails and attracts a young and female target group. Looking at the savory segment, the spotlight is still on more exotic and spicy flavor creations like sriracha: a sweet and spicy combination of garlic and chili that can be used for sauces and is promoted as one of the flavor highlights for 2015 when used for snacks. Bell has also created a maple bacon flavor that combines sweet and salty, a huge trend that it predicts will become even more popular in the snacking market during the next years.
