Firmenich has announced its 2022 flavor of the year, Magical Botanical. This is the 10th consecutive year that Firmenich has released its Flavor of the Year. The flavors of the year released by Firmenich over the past few years are Coconut 2016, Cucumber 2017, Fig 2018, Hibiscus 2019, Blueberry 2020, Ginger & Grapefruit 2021. The biggest difference between 2022 and the past is that it has changed from a specific flavor to a concept of botanical elements, emphasizing the fusion between multiple plant ingredients.
Inspired by the latest Pantone Color of the Year 2022 (Periwinkle Blue) and the magical power of botanicals, the Miraculous Botanicals will usher in a new era of flavor, according to Firmenich.
1 Botanicals and flavors
The epidemic has boosted the market growth of botanicals, and data shows that the U.S. botanical supplement market will skyrocket in 2020. Sales exceeded $10 billion for the first time in history, reaching $11.261 billion, an increase of 17.3% from 2019. Functional botanical ingredients are gaining unprecedented popularity, extending beyond supplements to food and beverages.
Firmenich Wonder Botanicals are designed around core functional botanicals and naturally traceable culinary herbs. These plants often have immune-boosting and emotional health-boosting properties. This is very much in line with the primary health needs of consumers during the pandemic. The resulting range of
flavors is designed to inspire creativity in a variety of applications represented by sweet, savory beverages. Use botanical flavors to enhance consumers’ health and well-being and transform negative emotions into positive emotions, ushering in a new era after the epidemic is over.
According to Innova Market Insight, the use of botanical ingredients in new food and beverage products is diversifying. Among them, sauces and seasonings became the most used category of plant-based ingredients in 2020. Sports nutrition is the fastest-growing category of plant-based ingredients, with a global CAGR of 16% from 2016 to 2020. Firmenich expects to launch more than 1,300 botanical-related products in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 29%.
Brands are using botanicals in more application categories. Hot beverages, alcoholic beverages, and baked goods are the most common applications. In addition, botanicals are used in sauces and snacks juices, dairy products, and nutritional beverages. Even sweets and desserts are experimenting with plant-based blends as flavorings and ingredients to meet consumer demand for natural, healthy diets. On the sensory front, this has driven the growth in the use of floral, herbal, and tea-based flavor notes. The use of botanical flavor combinations has steadily increased in consumer products over the past decade. New varieties in 2018 increased by 45%. In the past, manufacturers tended to launch products based on a certain botanical flavor. But there are clear signs that consumers want to be more creative with culinary flavors in the kitchen and crave more interesting and complex flavors outside the home. This has prompted manufacturers to introduce interesting products with a combination of botanical flavors.
2 Which botanical flavors are gaining popularity?
In a survey by Kerry, 91% of consumers believe that the nutritional function and health impact of plant ingredients are the most important attributes that influence their purchase of related products. And consumers associate botanical flavors with specific health functions. Ginger, for example, is believed to be strongly linked to immunity, digestion, cardiovascular, healthy aging, and weight management. Peppermint is thought to be closely linked to oral care, digestion, stress management, immune and emotional health. In the development of corresponding functional products, companies use these common flavor ingredients and add some rare plant flavors (such as elderflower, sage), which can increase the innovation of products and make them more acceptable to consumers. Some botanical flavors often used in foreign food and beverage applications include:
Traditional botanical spices: ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, garlic, mint, basil, fennel, cardamom, chili, basil
Floral Botanical Flavors: Elderflower, Chamomile, Hops, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Jasmine, Echinacea, Hibiscus, Saffron
Herbal Flavor: Lemon Balm, Valerian, Sage, Fenugreek, Schisandra, Holy Basil, Centella Asiatica, Green Tea, Dandelion, Verbena
3 Application of mixed botanical flavor in food and beverage
Mixed botanicals can not only provide unique flavors for food and beverages but also launch corresponding products for gut health, immunity, emotional health, beauty, cardiovascular health, etc., according to the functions of the raw materials.
Taisho Pharmaceutical’s Secret-hisoca-Pomegranate Concentrate Drink, Added Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Wasabi, Houttuynia Cordata, Green Tea, Mulberry, Licorice, Red Stuffed Grass, Turmeric, Sage, Dandelion Leaf, Lemon Balm, Red Raspberry, Maca, red raspberry, cinnamon bark extract, and other botanical ingredients.
RishiTea herbal sparkling water series, adding dandelion, ginger, grapefruit, elderberry, maqui berry, schisandra, turmeric, saffron and other function
Waterdrop beverage concentrates, products include Focus (with vitamins C, B1 and B5, as well as lime, acerola and green coffee beans); love (with vitamins B6 and C, thiamine, potassium, pomegranate, goji and acerola ); Glow (with vitamins B1, E, and C, mango, prickly pear, and artichoke); Boost (with vitamins B6, B12, and C, plus black currant, elderflower, and acai); Youth (with vitamin C) , B12 and B3, peach, ginger, ginseng and aloe vera); Zen (with vitamins B1, C and biotin, star fruit, thyme and lemon balm).
Nude Chocolate has launched three functional vegan chocolates with added reishi, including MIND (blueberry, hibiscus, and reishi), BODY (strawberry, rose, and reishi), SOUL (lavender, raspberry, and reishi).
Mad Maiden Shrub Apple Cider Vinegar Drink is made with organic apples from Wisconsin orchards, infused with cranberry juice, soda water, gin, rosemary, orange zest, and pepper.
Oath’s line of organic oat milk contains almond, pumpkin seed, and oat-derived plant protein, and add fennel, saffron, nutmeg, and Indian rose as flavors.
Pukka Herbs Organic Herbal Latte Collection, including Coco Maca Latte (Maca, Ashwagandha), Good Night Latte (Carob, Lavender, Chamomile, Ashwagandha, and Nutmeg), Turmeric Latte (Honeysuckle, Turmeric, Cardamom) and saffron), the product is organic, caffeine-free, vegan, and has zero sugar.
