Dive overview:
- Olam Food Ingredients (Ofi) We have developed a set of trending flavor pairings With Design’s cocoa product line powered by artificial intelligence. These include Asian-inspired flavors such as lychee, miso, matcha, yuzu, mochi, and spicy chilies.
- In an interview with Food Dive, Ofi pastry chef Andrew Pingle said the combination will allow the company to move closer to new trends in the use of cocoa ingredients in food and beverage applications. These include rich alkalized cocoa combined with miso and natural cocoa combined with yuzu for a citrus flavor.
- Ingredients company research has identified mochi as a fast-growing confection in the baked goods sector, which can be paired with pistachio or creamy chocolate and ice cream desserts.
Dive Insight:
Ofi aims to harness the power of AI to bring cocoa growers into new categories that consumers want.Asian flavor In recent years, there has been an increasing trend in the United StatesOfi’s cocoa products are ready to capitalize on that popularity.
While U.S. consumers are still familiar with the tastes of the East, and there is a growing awareness of those flavors on social media, Pingle said there are similarities to the flavors they already love. . Yuzu’s flavor is reminiscent of oranges and lemons, while some have noted that miso resembles butterscotch, he said.
“Lychee, miso and yuzu are all completely new to the U.S. consumer, but digging deeper reveals that they also have familiar tasting notes that help bridge new trends to familiar flavors.” said Pingle.
Ingredient companies are seeing the potential for various confectionery products to capitalize on this trend.lychee famous for sweet and floral, can be combined with cocoa powder to create a rich pastry filling, and matcha can be combined with the smooth cocoa in the three-layer tiramisu, said Ofi. Producers can use True Dark cocoa powder, which contains fruit and nut flavors, to make chocolate ganache paired with raspberry sauce, Offi said.
Despite relying on consumer preferences and market data to drive trends, Pingle noted that human expertise is still important in the ingredient development process. Perfecting the final product is a key focus for chefs and formulators, as is ensuring that the product has the desired health and sustainability attributes, he said. Stated.
