Short-Cut Sauce Solutions
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[Sauces/Marinades] Vol. 24 No. 2 March/April 2014 ww Short-Cut Sauce Solutions By Donna Berry, Contributing Editor Celebrity chefs make cooking from scratch look easy. Today’s consumers know otherwise, but that does not prevent them from getting creative in the kitchen thanks to the many short-cut sauce solutions readily available at most retail food stores. “Time-pressed consumers recognize that home cooking doesn’t mean everything must be prepared from scratch,” says Eric Fisher, director of innovation, Olam Spices & Vegetable Ingredients, Fresno, CA. “Pre-made, premium sauces help home cooks achieve more complex, flavorful meals.” Craig “Skip” Julius, manager of culinary services, Sensient Flavors, Hoffman Estates, IL, says: “The growth in the artisan-sauce segment is driven by the desire of fun and adventure. Consumers are looking to try new things.” According to the report, “Cooking Sauces, Marinades and Dressings—U.S., December 2013,” from Mintel, Chicago, these three categories experienced steady growth between 2008 and 2013, and this is expected to continue. Driving forces include economics, which has more consumers cooking at home, as well as consumers growing interest in all things culinary. “Products that provide a real cooking experience, but are simple to use, such as prepared sauces, appeal to a sizable portion of consumers,” says Jean Shieh, marketing manager, biopharma and savory flavors, Sensient Flavors. The insatiable millennial Growth of ready-to-use sauces is further being fueled by the millennial consumer, the demographic born between 1979 and 2000 that entered a world of infinite choices. As the purchasing power of these self-proclaimed foodies increases, the food industry is adapting with products to meet their evolving cravings. Without a doubt, millennials are the most ethnically and racially diverse generation ever, which drives their desire for globally influenced flavors. Millennials crave layers of flavors, especially when they involve an element of surprise, such as sweet with heat. Sauces are a convenient way to satisfy their insatiable appetite for flavor and culinary adventure. “Once thought of as the wave of the future, simmer sauces allow busy consumers with discerning palates to create fresh, great-tasting meals at home,” says Mervyn de Souza, general manager, biopharma and savory flavors, Sensient Flavors. “Exciting and authentic flavors make simmer sauces sizzle and allow anyone to enjoy memorable meals without leaving their kitchen.” Angelina De Castro, marketing manager, savory, Ingredion Inc., Westchester, IL, adds, “The recent boom of cooking sauces suggests that the skillet-meal concept really fits right into the consumer trend www.foodproductdesign.com Page 1 [Sauces/Marinades] Vol. 24 No. 2 March/April 2014 of at-home cooking with ease.” Combining ready-to-use sauces with protein, pasta and vegetables is a convenient way to create a quick, healthy meal in minutes. Ethnic flavor trends Remember when sauces were simple? When excitement in the red pasta-sauce category was the addition of garlic or maybe some cheese? “Today’s sauces keep getting more sophisticated every year,” says Julius. “There are two major trends now: Latin American and Asian. Specifically, we are looking at regional flavors from Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, and Thai, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and recently regions of India. “Yogurt bases and curry bases are getting more play in sauce development,” adds Julius. “Also, Ponzu, a Japanese, soy-based liquid sauce with citrus notes, and Korean barbecue sauces are gaining traction.” All of these ethnic cuisines amount to more flavor profiles than one can list. “On top of that, you have fusion—taking pieces of all and skillfully combining them to achieve something that is greater than the simple sum of the parts,” says Julius. Ethnic foods continue to increase in popularity, agrees Jill McKeague, market development manager, Kalsec Inc., Kalamazoo, MI: “These dishes often have nearly 10 individual ingredients when prepared from scratch. An ethnic sauce, however, greatly simplifies the cooking process, bringing together consumer desire for ethnic flavors along with convenience.” According to Innova, The Netherlands, 10% of global marinade and sauce new product introductions in 2012 had an ethnic flavor. “The U.S. closely tracked this statistic at almost 8%,” says McKeague. “Spicy sauces are outpacing the growth of the general sauce market, reflecting consumers’ preference for spicy foods.” Pepper power As American tastes continue to develop and to appreciate global flavor profiles, peppers will continue to be a key element in many formulations. Different peppers represent different ethnic cuisines, and blending them provides culinary complexity that today’s consumers find appealing. Two of the more common chile peppers are jalepeño and habanero. These are both associated with mainstream Mexican fare. More-authentic Mexican cuisine, as well as many South American dishes, rely on poblano peppers, with the dried version known as ancho, as well as serrano peppers, which are prevalent in Brazilian cuisine. The pimenta malagueta pepper is exclusive to the cuisines of Brazil, Portugal and Portuguese colonies in Africa, principally Mozambique and Cabo Verde. Cayenne pepper is typical of many Indian dishes, while northeast India’s claim to fame is the bhut jolokia, also called the ghost chile, and is currently recognized as the hottest pepper in the world. “Red jalapeño peppers are in high demand because they are an ingredient in the wildly popular Sriracha,” says Barbara Zatto, director of culinary and sales manager, west, food ingredients division, Mizkan, Mt. Prospect, IL. “Green chiles are among the most widely used in the United States, because of their mild flavor, ranging from 0 to 300 Scoville units. www.foodproductdesign.com Page 2 [Sauces/Marinades] Vol. 24 No. 2 March/April 2014 “Green sauces are on-trend and increasing in demand, including green salsas, green enchilada sauces and green moles,” Zatto continues. “Our product line includes green chile, tomatillo, and green and red jalapeños—all available in diced, puréed, frozen and individually quick frozen.” A product designer chooses the form based on application and desired moisture and solids. While “tomatoes have traditionally been the foundation for many sauces because of their wonderful sweet flavors and textures,” Fisher says, sauces are changing. “Restaurants and consumers are now serving more green sauces and tapenade-type chunky sauces,” he says. “Tomatillo, green tomato and chile pepper purées are popular components because they contribute texture and fresh green, savory notes.” Chipotle peppers were the workhorses of sauces the past few years, but now poblano peppers, South American peppers, such as aji amarillo and Aleppo peppers from Turkey are getting very popular, according to Julius. “Chefs are just starting to discover fruity Asian peppers,” he says. “Some are really high-heat, so flavor designers and product developers want the flavor profile, but without the heat.” Ingredient companies can offer the flavor of the pepper, without any heat, so product designers can add back the desired amount of capsaicin for a given application. This lets the fruitiness shine through without an extreme level of burn. Some peppers bring surprising perks to a formulation. “We have a new aji amarillo pepper purée that we source from our operations in Peru,” says Fisher. “It is quickly becoming one of our more popular flavors this year. This pepper combines sweet with medium-to-hot heat levels (40,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units). It’s a great tool to eliminate added sugars by achieving sweetness from peppers naturally.” When it comes to layering flavors, garlic, a prominent flavor in many ethnic cuisines, complements many peppers and continues to be a leading characterizing flavor in sauces. “Garlic is still going strong, and now formulators are adding other flavors to garlic, such as sesame or ginger, plus fruits like mango and plum,” says Julius. Seeing flavor Visual flavor cues have become increasingly important in sauces, as social media postings of “what’s for dinner” must communicate taste and texture. “Spices can go a long way to improve visual appeal,” says Meredith Bishop, principal development scientist, Spicetec Flavors & Seasonings, Omaha, NE. “Spices come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes, from fine grinds to cracked or whole spices. You can get just about any size to add to your sauce.” For example, a white country gravy may have a few different sizes of ground black pepper for visual appeal and for flavor. Pieces of spice, as compared to powdered versions, can provide authenticity to a sauce. “Using minced garlic or onion contributes flavor and texture to a sauce,” says Bishop. “The powdered versions just provide taste. It is important to identify the right mix of appearance and taste through the use of seasoning blends and flavors in sauces.” Never forget to consider the processing environment, she cautions, as some sizes can clog filling equipment. www.foodproductdesign.com Page 3 [Sauces/Marinades] Vol. 24 No. 2 March/April 2014 Vegetables and vegetable purées also assist with maintaining color. “We’ve experienced growth with our high-quality, minimally processed, aseptically packed diced vegetables,” says Fisher. “These products add recognizable vegetable pieces to give sauces a desirable chunky texture.” Ingredient selection can impact flavor during shelf life. “For example,