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BY KAREN NACHAY Highflying products are flying off store shelves as consumers look for inexpensive ways to enhance recipes. Product developers and chefs continue to formulate new sauces with ethnic/regional and bold flavors as well as varieties that help consumers meet certain dietary needs.

auces are the culinary workhorse of sauces have evolved as people experience the food world. They add color, a con- new flavors and cuisines. Today, hot sauces, centrated burst of complementary regional sauces, spicy and sweet S or contrasting flavor, and texture to Asian sauces, and Indian simmer sauces everything from and pasta to are as popular as ever. Product develop- and fish. Savory or sweet, hot or cold, thin ers and chefs continue to innovate by using or thick, a topping or a mix-in, sauces have cutting-edge ingredients and on-trend fla- crossed cultural borders and are part of vir- vors to meet consumers’ expectations. tually all major cuisines. Without sauces, spaghetti would be just a pile of wet noodles. Sauce Sales Pick up Steam Sauce-like applications have been around The recessionary climate has led many con- for centuries, but it was between 1400 and sumers to eschew restaurant trips or to 1700 that sauce development began its evo- reduce their frequency and instead cook or lution to what we are accustomed to today prepare meals at home. Using sauces is a as a result of the introduction of new ingre- relatively inexpensive way for people who dients, preparation and processing methods, prepare meals at home and for chefs to add and various cooking utensils (McGee, 2004). interest to food or to try new flavors. “You As the years passed, butter- and cream- can create new dishes and change flavors and based sauces rose in popularity in Europe be on trend by simply just adding a sauce or and America as a result of French culi- changing a sauce,” says Mathew Freistadt, nary influence (Smith, 2007). Since then, Corporate Chef & Culinary Manager

The popularity of sauces continues to grow as consumers look to flavorful and inexpensive ways to add variety to foods. Photo copyright © iStockphoto.com/ola_p

09.11 • www.ift.org 41 pg 47

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Barbecue flavors and sauces taste differently depending on region. Food producers are formulating products that play into these regional preferences. Photo copyright © iStockphoto.com/eddieberman Food Technology Food National Starch Food Innovation R&D, Wixon. “It changes the especially in the foodservice sector; routE routE Client COlOrS 4CP whole dynamic of thatSIgNoFF AS______dish.” AE______CD______CoPY______AD______Kara AAD______ProoF______ProD______you can include an up-and-com- deStinatiOn deSCriPtiOn Savory (Precisa) – Starchology means… NSFI-2644-2_K47_3P_Sav_24_v2a.indd Nielsen,Saved: 6/9/11 Trendologist, Prepared by: Sarah Elwyn Center for ing or unusual ingredient in sauces Culinary Development, agrees and to introduce people to the ingre- adds that product developers, chefs, dient or flavor, notes Nielsen. and home cooks use sauces to make Consumers tend to associ- subtle or substantial changes that ate , , and will affect the whole dish or prod- with a few types of sauces, and uct in flavorful and unique ways. this limited association presents Sauce products offer conve- opportunity for product develop- nience. Jack Daniel’s® EZ Marinader® ers and chefs to formulate more from H.J. Co. is liquid mar- creative sauce options for these inade in a 12-oz bag large enough foods (Technomic, 2009). Sauces to hold 2-3 pounds of meat, poul- are even featured in some inter- try, or vegetables, eliminating esting applications: At the 2011 the need for bowls, pans, bottles, IFT Food Expo in New Orleans, foil, and plastic wrap. Sauces lend La., Tabasco Brands® Industrial themselves to experimentation, Ingredients/McIllhenny Co. »»

pg 42 09.11 • www.ift.org NSFI-2644-2_K47_3P_Sav_24_v2a.indd 1 6/9/11 10:58 AM by what you can think up and the a consumer survey conducted ingredients available to you.” by Technomic Information Demand is up for sauces, Services (Technomic, 2009). which is driving sales: The global Formulating a product with market for these products is high-quality ingredients and call- expected to reach $72 billion by ing it out as “premium” helps to 2015 (the number includes condi- attract consumers seeking to rec- ments, dressings, and seasonings reate restaurant-quality food at as well) (GIA, 2011). Mintel pre- home. Using words and phrases dicts continued success in the like “signature,” “original,” cooking sauces and marinades “secret recipe,” “homemade,” categories with sales projected to and “fresh” are ways to make the reach $4.4 billion by 2015 after product special so that consum- hitting the $3.7 billion mark in ers think it is something that 2010 (Mintel, 2011). The compa- they can’t get everywhere, says ny’s research also found that 83% Kim Holman, Vice President— of adults who cook/prepare meals Marketing, Wixon. Many of at home use cooking sauces and these products positioned as “pre- marinades when preparing meals mium” are also made without and 74% use store-bought sauces certain additives or preservatives. and marinades (Mintel, 2011). To help the millions of chil- “It is a massive category with lit- dren and adults who suffer from erally hundreds and hundreds of food allergies or food intoler- products coming out year after ances, food manufacturers offer year,” says David Browne, Senior sauces made without gluten, Analyst, Mintel Group Ltd. dairy ingredients, or other com- Sweet sauces are the perfect accompaniment for fruit, ice cream, baked goods, mon food allergens and make and even savory foods like . Sauce Standouts “free-from” claims on front of Photo courtesy of Happy Goat With such saturation in the sauce package. Mintel’s Global New category, marketers are mak- Product Database research formulated its Tabasco sauce in ing certain claims, and product shows that from 2008 to 2010, mac & cheese, king cake, and cof- developers are formulating prod- 31 new sauce/marinade prod- fee prototypes, and Kikkoman ucts based on consumer research ucts with a gluten-free claim Sales USA Inc. flavored cream to differentiate their products were launched, and the amount cheese prototypes with Kikkoman from competitors or to address of new sauce/marinade prod- Product developers, chefs, and home cooks use sauces to make subtle or substantial changes that will affect the whole dish or product in flavorful and unique ways.

Asian sauces, including Sriracha consumer demands about nutri- ucts with allergen-free claims Hot Chili Sauce, Plum Sauce, Thai tion. One in four consumers who doubled to 31 (Mintel, 2011). Style Chili Sauce, and Sweet Soy cook at least half of their meals at In addition to an interest in Glaze. “Sauces are great on all home and who use store-bought products made without addi- types of food—from eggs and sauces report that purity claims tives and preservatives and ones pancakes to vegetarian and veg- like “natural,” “kosher,” or “no that are free from food aller- etable dishes to roasted and additives and preservatives” are gens, consumers are concerned whole-grain side dishes,” states important when they shop for with sodium and content. Meredith L. Bishop, Principal sauces (Mintel, 2011). About one- For years, doctors and nutri- Food Scientist, Spicetec Flavors quarter (26%) of consumers say tionists have warned consumers & Seasonings. “Sauces can be they prefer organic or all-natu- about the health problems asso- used to flavor just about any- ral sauces and , and ciated with consuming too much thing and come in all different 27% believe these products to sodium and sugar. Now, pressure textures and flavors. The applica- be healthier than other sauces by health associations and con- tions and flavors are only limited and condiments, according to sumer groups on the government pg 44 09.11 • www.ift.org Moving into the Mainstream

he Center for Culinary Development notes CCD. Jars of harissa have also been Food marketers are emphasizing what is not in sauce products or are using buzz words like (CCD) has followed seven sauce and mar- spotted at specialty stores like “gourmet,” “homemade,” and others to grab Tinade developments as they move from Williams-Sonoma. consumers’ attention. the menus of fine dining and independently • . An herb sauce from Photo courtesy of Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods owned restaurants to being featured in food Argentina, chimichurri is made from parsley, magazines and sold at specialty stores to , garlic, and salt. recipes fea- and food manufacturers to lower being available on the menus of quick-service ture the sauce, which is available in the added sodium and sugar in foods restaurants and shelves of supermarkets (PF seasonings aisle in some grocery stores. has made some consumers more and CCD, 2011). Much has been written about • Sriracha. The room for growth of this aware of their food choices and the popularity of ethnic cuisine, and all of made from chili peppers, , encouraged some food manufac- these sauces on the CCD’s trend radar have garlic, sugar, and salt is great, especially turers to reformulate products or origins in countries other than the United with only one major U.S. producer of the create low-sodium and low-sugar States or incorporate ingredients from ethnic sauce, according to CCD. Bottles of Huy Fong alternatives. Of those consum- cuisines. Many of the sauces listed here are Foods Inc.’s Rooster Sauce are found next to ers who cook/prepare meals incorporated in recently introduced menu and on tables of some res- at home and use store-bought offerings, product prototypes, and finished taurants and on supermarket shelves. sauces, 39% say low sodium and packaged goods. • . This garlic is avail- 28% say low/no sugar is impor- • Poutine. This popular Canadian dish of able at both fine dining establishments and tant to them (Mintel, 2011). topped with cheese curds and fast food outlets, and it used as a topping, There is a significant amount brown is served in some fine dining dip, and spread. Chefs and product develop- of sugar in many sauce prod- establishments and from food trucks. ers are showing how versatile the sauce is by ucts, and consumers really do not • Gastrique. A thick syrupy sauce made adding ingredients like lemon, herbs, chili understand this, says Holman, from a French reduction of sugar and vinegar, peppers, and others to it. so low-sugar product develop- gastrique balances the flavors of meat dishes Of special note is what CCD calls “umami ment is a huge opportunity area that are often prepared with fruit. Chefs use in a bottle.” Referred to as the “fifth taste,” for product development. While gastrique on meat, fish, and desserts. CCD umami is not an ingredient but a savory taste manufacturers have replaced high found that recipes for the sauce are appear- that comes from the amino acid glutamate. fructose corn with other ing in gourmet food magazines, and reports sauce and ketchup are rich in umami sweeteners in some sauce, mari- that the sweet-and-sour flavor (a popular and so are other familiar ingredients often nade, and products flavor combination among consumers) of the added to sauces like mushrooms and parme- amid consumer concerns about sauce presents an opportunity to develop san cheese. the ingredient, now the empha- and manufacture bottled gastrique for home Some products and at least one restau- sis should be on reducing overall use. rant emphasize umami in their names. Taste amounts of added sweeteners, • Romesco. CCD has noticed this sauce— #5 Umami Paste™ from Laura Santtini is a she adds. Likewise with sodium, made from roasted red peppers, almonds, concentrate paste made from olive, anchovy, as the Institute of Medicine in breadcrumbs, olive oil, and garlic and having porcini mushroom, parmesan cheese, and 2010 encouraged the government roots from the Catalan region of Spain— tomato—all umami-rich foods themselves. to establish federal standards appearing on the menus of chain restaurants. “The restaurant Umami Burger is educating for the amounts of sodium that As Spanish cuisine grows in popularity, chefs people about umami ingredients and how food manufacturers, restaurants, can incorporate romesco into a variety of important they are to building flavor by offer- and foodservice operators add to dishes, and food manufacturers can formu- ing a choice of sauces that all have an umami foods and beverages. “Cooking late sauces and marinades for sale at kick to them,” states Kara Nielsen, sauces are very handy, shelf-sta- specialty stores and supermarkets. Trendologist, CCD. As more consumers ble, incredibly flavorful, and • Harissa. This spicy chili paste usually become familiar with umami, product devel- authentic, but the sodium levels accompanies couscous in Tunisian dishes, opers can take the opportunity to formulate are astronomical,” says Browne. but celebrity chefs have used it as a dip for products that call out or underscore umami Lowering sodium in sauces French fries and a garnish for sandwiches, (PF and CCD, 2011). (and other products for that

09.11 • www.ift.org 47 pg as well as other prototypes are Hispanics and Asians,” says highlighting various func- Browne. “As such, marketers tionalities of ingredients that should be creating offerings were featured at the 2011 that appeal to them, includ- IFT Annual Meeting & Food ing traditional flavors that may Expo.) “Marketing lower- be more intense or unusual to sodium is risky, but I think the mainstream audience.” that consumers want it, so you Barbecue is a leading fla- have to figure out some sort vor profile across a number of balance,” says Browne. of menu offerings and com- mercial product goods and Flavor Rules in the Sauce Market can easily be incorporated in Flavor is big across all prod- sauces (Technomic, 2009). uct categories, and for sauces, Like ethnic sauces, barbe- it is no different. Ethnic fla- cue sauces have fared well, vors, bold flavors, flavor with 2010 sales at $660 mil- combinations—all of these lion, and could reach close to are attracting consumers, dif- $800 million in 2015 (Mintel, ferentiating products from 2011). Freistadt, who has each other, and helping to development expertise with drive sales of sauce products. barbecue sauces, consid- Mintel reports that U.S. sales ers barbecue sauce a versatile of ethnic sauces reached $712 product that lends itself well million in 2010 (19.4% of total to the inclusion of any num- U.S. sales of cooking sauces/ ber of different ingredients, marinades) and are expected from different kinds of chili to reach $880 million in 2015 peppers for added heat to (Mintel, 2011). “The fastest- pureed fruit or fruit nectar growing segments in the U.S. for sweetness, and from any

Sauces can be thick or thin, and ingredients are available to help product developers achieve Red and white wine sauces are classic sauces. optimal viscosity, texture, flavor, and appearance for any given sauce application. Beverages like coffee and cola are used Photo copyright © iStockphoto.com/Elenathewise in some sauces as well. Photo courtesy of David Michael matter) can be a tricky endeavor for product devel- opers, though, because consumers often equate lower- sodium foods with poor taste. Generally, companies are cau- tious in terms of how overt they are in marketing the fact that products have lower sodium, and, oftentimes, they reduce the sodium without even telling consumers, says Browne. Nevertheless, man- ufacturers have introduced low-sodium sauces formulated with a number of ingredient innovations. (See the side- bar “Balancing Function and Health” on page 50 for low- sodium sauce prototypes pg 48 09.11 • www.ift.org variety of for acidity to and with Ancho and Sesame. Throughout the year, herbs for flavor. It is a product category that is the company produces limited edition seasonal ripe for innovation. “Barbecue sauce tastes dif- products like Pumpkin with Roasted ferent depending on what part of the country Tomatillo. Argo Century Inc. offers TonTon™ you live in, and it is a golden opportunity for Yuzu Dressing & Marinade formulated with yuzu, a company to create regionalized sauces that a sour Japanese citrus fruit. Like some of the can be sold nationally,” adds Browne. This is exactly what French’s Flavor Ingredients has done; its Cattlemen’s® Master’s Reserve™ line of barbecue sauces for foodservice includes for- mulations of authentic regional flavors from Memphis, Carolina, Kansas City, Texas, St. Louis, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Additionally, product developers and chefs are combining the flavors of traditional bar- becue sauces with ethnic ingredients for an entirely different twist. Wixon is demon- strating global barbecue sauce prototypes at several 2011 IFT Section Suppliers Night events, including Beijing BBQ Plum Sauce, Indian Tandoori BBQ Sauce, and Korean BBQ Sauce. Television shows that emphasize food and culture, increased travel, and the willing- ness to try something new have influenced consumers’ interest in experimenting with fla- vor. It also helps that cooking with sauces is a relatively affordable way to try new ingre- dients and flavor sensations. This interest is nothing new. The Romans used season- ings to create different sauces, and they even had a fondness for fermented fish sauces (Grimm, 2007), which we associate with South Asian cuisine. And cooks in Medieval Europe enjoyed sauces that had strong fla- vors (Woolgar, 2007), often seasoned with spices like ginger, pepper, cloves, mace, saf- fron, and cinnamon (Tannahill, 1988). Today’s consumers will find no shortage of sauce products formulated with ingredi- ents to provide authentic ethnic flair; impart bold, strong flavors for heat, sweetness, umami, and sour sensations; and create one- of-a-kind or unusual flavor combinations. The Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods’ line of curry sauces and marinades and the Maya Kaimal™ line of Indian simmer sauces are represen- tative of sauces from some of the different regions of India. Happy Goat recently intro- duced Scotch Caramel Sauce made with single malt scotch. Frontera Foods, whose founder Rick Bayless is known for introducing his res- taurants’ patrons to foods and ingredients from regions in Mexico, offers Mexico City Peanut Mole Simmer Sauce with Roasted Tomato and Chipotle and Oaxacan Red Chile Mole Simmer Sauce

09.11 • www.ift.org 49 pg sauces prepared during medieval Roasted Apple Grille Sauce, Roasted Shrimp with Citrus and Sriracha times, bold-flavored spices like Peach Whiskey Sauce, Roasted Garlic . The company has cinnamon and ginger are featured Peanut Sauce, Pomegranate Grille previously developed sauce pro- in many retail sauces, includ- Sauce, and Mushroom Sage Sauce. totypes like Yuzu , Orange ing Dulcet Cuisine LLC’s Toasted Ingredient suppliers continue Chipotle BBQ Sauce, and Vanilla Sesame & Ginger Asian Sauce and to provide product developers Bourbon BBQ Sauce. Innova, a Tangy & Peppery Moroccan Sauce and with inspiration in sauce develop- Griffith Laboratories Co., served Annie Chun’s Shiitake Soy Ginger ment. Bell Flavor & Fragrances at Chorizo Tomato Dipping Sauce at Sauce. For its extensive line of its 2011 Flavorology® event fea- the 2011 IFT Food Expo. David sauces and marinades, Stonewall tured sauce prototypes such as Michael develops a variety of pro- Kitchen blends on-trend ingre- Calamansi Lime with Black Garlic totypes that feature on trend dients to create Maple Chipotle Dipping Sauce, Moroccan Yogurt Dip and up-and-coming flavors for Grille Sauce, Vidalia Fig made with the company’s harissa its annual Innovation Roadshow. Sauce, Curried Mango Grille Sauce, flavor, andCrispy Wonton Wrapped This year’s event highlighted

Balancing Function and Health

he nutritional quality of products is reduced-sodium sausage pizza, which had a a with 15% stronger flavor, no important to many consumers who want 35% reduction of sodium and also featured dilution, and a higher amino acid content to Tto reduce added sodium, sugar, or fat in reduced-sodium marinara sauce, pizza enhance flavor. their diets or who want to avoid certain crust, sausage crumbles, and mozzarella • Specialty wheat proteins and starches ingredients like gluten. Ingredient and prod- cheese. are used to add or enhance texture in a vari- uct developers continue to innovate to • Corn Products International and ety of foods, including sauces. A address consumers’ concerns. Just as National Starch Food Innovation highlighted reduced-sodium sweet-and-sour sauce fea- important, though, are sensory aspects of Novation™ Prima 600 functional native tured Midsol™ specialty cook-up wheat the finished product, which are arguably as starch in goat cheese grits with wild mush- starch from MGP Ingredients Inc. The ingre- important to the bottom line, maybe even room Madeira cream sauce. The ingredient dient provides a smooth texture and can hold more important, than the overall nutritional provides a smooth texture to products like up to high temperatures and acid. qualities of the product. If a product does not sauces, the freeze/thaw performance of • Purac America Inc. showcased its taste good—no matter how “good-for-you” modified starch, and tolerance to low-tem- PuraQ® Verdad RV70 antimicrobial ingredient it is—consumers will not purchase it. More perature storage. It is labeled as corn starch. in a 30% sodium-reduced Alfredo sauce to than ever, companies offer ingredients that • Grande Custom Ingredients Group had show how the ingredient can boost flavor can help to improve taste and texture of food scientists on hand to discuss and dem- and enhance salt perception. sauces and marinades, including those for- onstrate how its Grande Bravo® Functional • Sensient Technologies Corp. supplies a mulated with reduced sodium, sugar, fat, or Whey Proteins achieve desired textural range of hydrolyzed vegetable proteins other ingredients. What follows are descrip- properties in sauce products like cheese under the name SensaSalt™ and featured tions of some of the sauce prototypes sauce and Alfredo sauce. They improve tex- the ingredients in Hearty Authentic Italian presented at the 2011 IFT Food Expo. ture and mouthfeel (ranges from smooth and Pizza Sauce 50% Sodium Reduction and • Ajinomoto Food Ingredients featured its gel-like to heavy and tacky), replace dairy Creamy Three Cheese Alfredo Sauce 50% Salt Answer™ ingredient system in a 25% solids, reduce the use of stabilizers and Sodium Reduction prototypes. reduced-sodium marinara sauce. The ingre- emulsifiers, have high viscosity and water- • Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings offers a dient system works synergistically with binding capabilities, and are heat-, acid-, and low-sodium flavor system to build the dairy lower levels of salt or salt blends to improve freeze-thaw–stable. Some require the appli- and cheese flavors that are lost when reduc- salt flavor. cation of heat to achieve viscosity and ing sodium, improve mouthfeel, and enhance • Cargill introduced FlakeSelect™ gelling and others bind water without heat cheese notes in Alfredo sauce. The company Sodium Reduction System, which uses a and hold water upon heating. demonstrated this in a 30% reduced-sodium patent-pending compacting process to com- • Kikkoman Sales USA Inc. formulated Alfredo sauce. bine salt and other ingredients. Pressure is jerky with Kikkoman Sodium PIN • TIC Gums presented three sauces made applied to the ingredients to produce clus- (Premium Total Nitrogen) Soy Sauce, a tam- with different gum systems with similar vis- tered thin flakes that have low bulk density, ari-style soy sauce with 45% less sodium cosities and solids to illustrate the high solubility, and large surface area. The than regular soy sauce. The company’s pro- importance of texture in the early stages of company demonstrated this ingredient in a prietary process to reduce sodium produces product development.

pg 50 09.11 • www.ift.org (Korean BBQ ) Sauce; Shiso Ginger Butter Sauce; meatballs served with Sesame Ginger Lime Sauce, Yogurt Sauce, and Mushroom Sour Cream Sauce; Maghreb Fruit & Almond Milk Sauce for Chicken, and brown made with white wine, merlot, and cabernet flavors. Consumers love the flavors, convenience, variety, and inexpensive cost of sauces. “The recession created an environment that really benefited this category, and that’s not true of a lot of categories,” remarks Browne. The category offers more than typical marinara, barbeque, or steak sauces. Now consum- ers can purchase sauces representative of many regional and international cuisines, formulated with ingredients both familiar and unfamiliar, and offered as limited edi- tions. As sales of these products are expected to increase over the next few years, prod- uct developers and chefs have their work cut out for them in developing standout sauces to meet the evolving taste preferences and nutritional needs of consumers. FT

Karen Nachay, a Member of IFT, is Associate Editor of Food Technology magazine ([email protected]).

REFERENCES

GIA. 2011. Global condiments, sauces, dressings, and sea- sonings market to reach US$72 billion by 2015. Press release, Jan. 10. Global Industry Analysts Inc., San Jose, Calif. www.strategyr.com. Grimm, V. 2007. “The good things that lay at hand: tastes of ancient Greece and Rome,” in Food: the history of taste, ed. P. Freedman. 92, 94–95. University of California Press, Los Angeles and Berkeley. McGee, H. 2004. On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen. Scribner, New York. Mintel. 2011. Cooking sauces and marinades—U.S.—April 2011—executive summary. Mintel Group Ltd., Chicago, Ill. www.mintel.com. PF and CCD. 2011. Culinary trend mapping report: condi- ments & sauces executive overview. Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md. www.packagedfacts.com. Center for Culinary Development, San Francisco, Calif. www.ccdsf. com. Smith, A.F., ed. 2007. The oxford companion to American food and drink. Oxford University Press Inc., New York. Tannahill, R. Food in history. 1988. Three Rivers Press, New York. Technomic. 2009. The flavor consumer trend report: atti- tudes and usage study exploring sauces, dips and condiments. Technomic Inc., Chicago, Ill. www.technomic.com. Woolgar, C.M. 2007. “Feasting and fasting: food and taste in Europe in the Middle Ages,” in Food: the history of taste, ed. P. Freedman. 175–176, 177. University of California Press, Los Angeles and Berkeley.

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