Presentation Highlights Flavor Prospects
Cherimoya Family
(Annona cherimola)
Cherimoya, guanabana, soursop, custard apple
- Family of tropical fruits originating in South America
- Known as custard apple in Europe and Asia
- Creamy white flesh tastes like a mix of pineapple, strawberry and banana
- Rich in fiber, vitamin C, calcium and niacin
- Said to have skin-firming properties
Traditional Uses
- Eaten fresh during their short season
- Flesh is often lightly sweetened and served with milk
- Popular in ice cream, smoothie beverages and as a dessert garnish
Current Applications
Cherimoya
- Primarily in skin care products in U.S. and Europe
- Also featured in skin care beverages
Guanabana/Soursop
- Beverages across EU and Asia
- Skin and hair care products
- Confections, frozen treats and yogurt in South America
Outlook
This family of fruits is considered among the best tasting in the world. Their popularity across South America, Europe and Asia means it's nearly inevitable that the trend will come our way. The only challenge for manufacturers will be to determine what to call it. As guanabana, it's likely to follow the path of passion fruit, featuring its more tropical flavor attributes. As cherimoya, it may emerge in the U.S. as a flavor with a European and wellness image, as we have observed with black currant. In this scenario, the more berry and pulpy attributes will be pronounced.
Cupuaçu
(Theobroma grandiflorum)
- Native to Brazilian rainforest — comes from a tree that belongs to the cocoa family
- Approximately the size of a melon
- Fruit has a white, creamy pulp with an exotic, chocolaty taste
- Has a concentration of antioxidants; like chocolate without the caffeine
- Said to boost immunity, increase libido, promote younger-looking skin, increase energy and stamina, lower cholesterol and destroy free radicals
Traditional Uses
- Standard fruit in its native area
- Often used in substitution of chocolate, such as for children's chocolate milk
- Used for custard desserts and ice cream
- Consumed as juice
- Used in hair and skin care regimens
Current Applications
- Primarily seen as an ingredient in skin and hair care products in South America, U.S. and Europe
- Featured in a Finnish confection, Australian beverage and Brazilian jelly candy as part of a "Tastes of Brazil" variety targeted to children
Outlook
Cupuaçu is not likely to become a flavor trend in the near future — it has a way to go as an ingredient first. We will likely see it continue to turn up as a hair and skin care ingredient, especially in products positioned as natural and eco-friendly. In addition, we may see it emerge slowly in the functional beverage category. Most closely related to its potential as a confectionery flavor, cupuaçu may pop up in South American cuisine as a creamy companion to chocolate.
Transitioning From Ingredient To Flavor
However, it must be remembered that aspects of such fruits are adjusted to provide the basis for flavor profiles that will attract consumers. This is important because all foods have a flavor personality that can be characterized by words called descriptors. Since everyone has a different frame of reference for taste, descriptors help people use the same terms to describe what they are tasting. For example, descriptors for an apple include fresh, cooked, juicy, tart, pulpy, peely and ripe. When food scientists use these words to explain they want a more juicy and tart flavor profile, and the flavor chemists know exactly what they mean.
When a product is developed, different attributes of the food are exaggerated and accentuated to create a new flavor profile, depending on the product and preferences of the target market. An apple drink might highlight the red, juicy, ripe attributes of an apple, while an apple breakfast bar accentuates the cooked, sweet and mealy parts of the flavor profile, and green apple candies exaggerate the sweet, tart and candy-like elements.
When a new ingredient shows up on the food industry's radar, it's these descriptors that are tweaked to help each new product deliver a unique taste and propel the flavor profile into the mainstream.
Pomegranate is a good example of a food that recently made the transition from ingredient to flavor profile. Until 2002, pomegranate was relatively obscure, used for its functional properties in supplements and hair and skin care products. As the health and wellness trend erupted in the food industry, pomegranate began to gain visibility as an ingredient in functional beverages such as Naked Juice and POM Wonderful.
From there, pomegranate began its migration to a flavor profile. It appeared on cocktail menus, and debuted in specialty sauces in quantities far too small to provide any functional benefit. Frequently, it was blended with more traditional flavors such as blueberry. This allowed consumers the opportunity to build experience with this new flavor and develop a comfort level with the pomegranate before trying it as a stand-alone profile.
As more products featuring pomegranate were introduced, certain flavor characteristics were highlighted and embellished, moving it from an astringent, sometimes bitter and metallic juice, to the more red berry flavor the market now knows and loves.
As members of the food and beverage community, we have the great opportunity to watch ingredients such as these closely and observe how their uses expand. We taste and experience them, developing our own mental models, which prepares us should the time come to deliver them to the market hungry for what's next.
About The Authors
She leads the market watch, consumer insight and trend analysis efforts for FONA's Confections Business Unit. Pugesek collaborates with our Product Solutions and Flavor Development teams to incorporate trends and consumer preference into our product development processes. She also works closely with customers, providing them with flavor-related analysis and concept innovation programs. She can be reached at bpugesek@fona.com.
He directs FONA's technology and innovation efforts in the area of new and novel flavor encapsulation delivery systems. Dr. Sobel has published manuscripts in Analytical Chemica Actica, The Journal of Chemical Education and Perfumer & Flavorist. He has given a variety of technical symposia on topics such as analysis of flavor encapsulates and challenges of microencapsulation of flavors. He can be reached at bsobel@fona.com.
