Evolution of the Marshmallow

Just when you thought marshmallows had seen their better days...marshmallow sales are up $5 M in 2008. Still dwarfed by the billion dollar chocolate industry, but a growing market segment none the less and the candy industry is taking notice. This growth may be due a new trend that involves dressing marshmallows up to take back their rightful place among other sweet treats.

Some of the newest innovations are sold under the GudFud label and include marshmallows with chocolate drizzle atop known as Zebras and marshmallows stuffed with chocolate, grape, orange or other fruity jelly fillings. Products are said to be inspired by the Japanese mochi which is a rice cake stuffed with a sweet filling and are sold in brightly colored packaging rather than your traditional clear bag signifying an immediate difference in consumer use. They’re not just for baking anymore!

Then there’s Sweet & Sara that specializes in producing vegan marshmallows (made without gelatin). Who knew? Flavors include Simply Strawberry, Cinnamon Pecan, Toasted Coconut, and Vanilla. And of course there’s the Artisan gourmet marshmallow which you can find at retailers such as Dulce Del Rocio and Recchuiti Confections which sells a gourmet S’mores kit. S’mores without the campfire…now that’s what we’ve all been waiting for!

The history of the marshmallow is fascinating and dates back to Ancient Egypt when it was known as the candy of the Pharoahs. The rebirth of the marshmallow reflects a larger consumer food trends to return to comfort foods. Considering the life of the marshmallow thus far, I would say this trend has been a long time coming.
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Taste Test: Jell-O Mousse Temptations Consumers Give New Product Thumbs Up

LENEXA, KAN. - Nov. 18, 2009 - A recent independent taste panel of consumers finds the new Jell-o Mousse Temptations Chocolate Indulgence product to be worthy of purchase. Panelists were recruited at random to participate in this blind taste test.

PROS: This product definitely hits the sweet spot without overdoing it. The mousse has "just enough chocolate taste" without being overly rich or bitter. Panelists gave the product excellent marks for both taste and color attributes. Most could not believe the product was sugar free.

CONS: The most common complaint with this product was its texture. Testers generally found the product to be "light" and "airy" but would have liked the product to be "creamier" in texture. Another side note, the flavor was mistaken by some as dark chocolate.

While the product is marketed as an individual snack cup, many testers were already thinking outside the cup. Adding cheesecake as a topper, infusing the product with coffee flavored bits or chocolate bits, or possibly adding a layer of cherry or raspberry sauce in the middle were just a few of the ideas that came up.

Overall 92% of testers gave this product either a Good or Excellent rating. Not too bad for a 2.3 grams and under 60 calories of sin free (sugar free) chocolate bliss in a cup.

Other flavors include Dark Chocolate Decadence and Caramel Crème. These products can be found in the refrigerated section of your grocer.

Coke Turns the Page

Coca-Cola has announced it will offer a slimmer can size in 2010. The new slim can will hold a 90 calorie serving size in comparison to the regular size can which holds a 140 calorie serving size. This announcement comes after a similar one last week that Coca-cola will also start displaying soft drink calorie counts visibly on the front of all of its products.

This is a great step for Coca-Cola and a giant leap for the industry. Pending legislation to tax soft drinks as a result of the obesity crisis in America is likely to have forced Coca-Colas hand on this. But I say, so what? If beverage and snack companies who are seemingly being sought after as the scapegoats for the crisis are willing to change their ways, then why punish them?

Our primary concern here should be awareness and education, not money making (although that would be ideal). We cannot stop people from making the choice to smoke a pack a day or making the choice to drink a Coke with every meal and then some by imposing a “sin” tax. While tax increases on cigarettes may have impacted the number of smokers out there somewhat, municipal codes to regulate smoking in public have hands down made the most impact. And let’s be real here, are we going to stop serving Coke at McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant out there? No, never. My point is that a simple tax is not going to make a significant difference in changing the way Americans think.

There are some things money can’t buy including a person’s choice. But we can make the choices healthier. Let’s not sell consumers short by assuming they are not willing to make the switch to a healthier lifestyle on their own. If a person is living a healthy lifestyle, then they certainly deserve to have a Coke without paying a premium for it. By penalizing the beverage and snack industry, we are only creating hurdles for everyone involved—consumers and companies alike. We have to give companies a chance to step up and evolve before we condemn their products with hefty taxes. We have to stop and think about the repercussions of our actions in this legislation.

Coca-Cola employs some 200,000+ Americans and an estimated 3 million in supporting industries. By implementing a “sin” tax on the snack and beverage industry are we going to achieve the goal of changing people’s minds? Or are we going to achieve some unwanted outcome as a result such as jeopardizing jobs in the process? This simple tax is just not as simple as it seems.
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Co-Co Nuts!

Coconut water has come quite a long way in the five years since New York based One World Enterprises L.L.C. introduced their respective natural coconut water products. In fact, from 2008 to 2009, sales are projected to grow by $15 million. Even Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have invested in coconut water companies, probably with hopes to revitalize their Gatorade and Powerade products.

Companies like McCormick & Company are putting coconut recipes on their website, using it in soups, sorbets, and as an addition to fish. And Sabinsa Corp recently got the a-ok on using coconut water solids as a nutrient in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy, snack foods, gum, teas, coffees, and more.

With natural sweeteners, light flavor, natural electrolytes such as potassium magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and sodium, and low in calories…I wouldn’t think it would be long before we’re seeing coconut water as a major beverage or in drink ingredients on health store and convenience store shelves alike.
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Newest Food Trend Affects Food Texture

Increasing consumer demand for natural and unprocessed food products is creating a new challenge in food product development. Until now, food scientists have always been able to put texture development on the back burner, turning to it only after flavor has been fully optimized, but not anymore. This is because the range of “acceptable” ingredients typically used to manipulate and design texture is shrinking. Products that are gluten free, or have fiber added, are especially creating challenges for scientists.

With so much of our perception of taste coming from the texture of foods that we’re eating, it will be a challenge to create natural foods that still have a satisfying taste and texture. While many of us really want healthier products, I’m curious to see at what cost. How will consumers respond to the taste and texture differences in some of their favorite products? Will our demand for all-natural tortilla chips wane after we discover that they may never be as thin and light as a typical restaurant style tortilla chip? I think in order for all-natural foods to go completely mainstream, product developers may have to find a way to alter our palates’ not so much the texture of our foods.

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Scent Infusion: Food for Thought

I am imagining the future of the food industry, and I’m trying to decide where I think this jingle will fit in: “The best part of waking up is Folgers coffee infused flavoring in your cup...of water” What do you think? Can you see it? Or rather, can you smell it?

“Infusion Technology”, one of the new and upcoming trends that we’re really starting to hear about, is the idea that we can infuse products with scent in order to improve, enhance, or even just make seem more fresh, the flavors that we’re tasting. We’ve moved on from adding natural and artificial flavors to our food and beverage; now we’re adding the scent of flavors, in order to enhance taste.

With Studies showing that the human tongue only detects 4 basic taste sensations: Sweet, Sour, Bitter & Salty , and that everything else that we’re tasting comes from our sense of smell, it makes sense that we would want to enhance flavors, in order to be more fulfilled as consumers. Right?

Companies like ScentSational Technologies, who are at the forefront of the infusion technology trend, are working with companies like AriZona Tea to develop aroma enhanced packaging. They do this by adding specially engineered FDA approved food grade flavors within the structure of plastic packaging components at the time of manufacturing. The result is packaging that enhances the aroma profile of a product that improves the taste experience and builds a better connection between the consumer and the brand.

Another plus, ScentSational Technologies is working with companies to improve the nutritional value of products by adding aromas to replace the sugar, salt and oil content in many products. And I’m sure NASA is thanking their lucky stars that they’ve teamed up with ScentSational Technologies to enhance space food products’ flavor, aroma, and taste, there just aren’t a lot of fresh food options in Space.

There are some obvious pros to “smell technology”, but, let’s bring it back down to earth. At what point do we as consumers call it quits on the constant progression of processed foods? For now, I’ll take my Folgers ground from coffee beans.

Mouth Bacteria Boost Flavors

Bacteria that are naturally present in the mouth may delay the flavor response for some fruit, vegetables, and wines, according to a food research study from Swiss company, Firmenich.

They studied the effects of oral microflora on a series of sulfur-containing compounds found commonly in foods such as wine and fruit. They found that the compounds are transformed by the bacteria in the mouth, releasing a sulfuric odor that adds a second dimension to the flavor perception of food products.

Dr Starkenmann told FoodNavigator.com, “This is the first time we were able to prove that the mouth act[s] like a reactor and therefore we can modulate the odor perception. We are now able to make more authentic flavor systems, like in nature.”

The study also shows how critical saliva is, along with the enzymes, proteins, and bacteria it contains, and how important it is in taste and flavor perception.

“Saliva is produced in the mouth by three major glands, the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular, and by other minor glands,” explained the researchers. “Minor lingual saliva glands are crucial in taste perception because they irrigate taste buds. The role of saliva is to provide a coating on the mouth epithelium as a buffering system.”

The food research also has implications for halitosis, said Dr Starkenmann, a condition mainly due to the degradation of cysteine and methionine [both amino acids] coming from food proteins which stick between your teeth. He explained certain bacteria may produce bad odors, but now they know that these same bacteria also produce pleasant aromas.

How consumers sense food is crucial knowledge for a food industry constantly re-organizing the building blocks of food formulations.

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