CHICAGO — High prices continue to challenge shoppers. Budgets are tight and out-of-home food dollars have been limited. Many consumers are craving the global flavors they previously enjoyed when dining out, and condiments — including sauces, marinades and dressings — have provided a solution.

“Condiments are ripe for innovation,” said Miriam Aniel Oved, director of marketing communications, Tastewise, New York. “They add that last touch opportunity for customization.”

It’s all about flavor differentiation, and for home cooks, it’s the secret to stretching a value-pack of chicken breasts over a couple of days without causing flavor fatigue.

“Consumers — especially the newest group of spenders — have more diverse palates, relationships, travel experiences and lifestyles,” said Jennefer Lyons, senior marketing manager, Sensient Flavors & Extracts, Hoffman Estates, Ill. “They want their food to match that diversity.”

Jerry McDonald, executive vice president of culinary, Midas Foods International, Oak Park, Mich., said, “Fermented, toasted, charred, sour, pickled and spicy flavors have been driving development for some time, and they do not seem to be slowing any time soon. Although comfort classics remain popular, the fusion approach to them is gaining a lot of steam, as people seek these new versions, like gochujang barbecue sauce, truffle ranch and black garlic poultry gravy.”

Fruity flavor innovations

One of the flavors Tastewise predicts will boom in condiments is black lime, also known as dried lime. It’s a green lime that has lost its water content after drying in the sun. The effect changes its color and intensifies its tangy, citrus, slightly sour flavor while also providing a brown-black hue suggestive of umami.

Dried plums, also known as prunes, are another fruit that has been a big hit among condiment formulators. When crafting a sauce, it’s all about finding balance, and the two dried fruits help with that.

“You need sweetness to balance out acidity,” said Kate Leahy, spokesperson, Sunsweet Ingredients, Yuba City, Calif. “This is how prune and plum ingredients can help. Fresh plum concentrate or prune juice concentrate can round out acidity, like vinegar and citrus juice. Fruit ingredients like prunes can also add sweetness to balance out the heat and astringency from chiles. And they can do this without the need to add sugar.

“Fruit-accented sauces with spice are really popular, from habaneros or Thai chiles paired with mangoes or pineapple in hot sauce. People love sweet with heat.”

Fruit ingredients — as well as vegetables — appeal to consumers concerned about clean labels. It’s about choosing the ideal degree of ripe, or not, to obtain the desirable amount of acidity and basic tastes with aromas.

“The demand for real fruits and vegetables is growing as consumers seek natural sources of flavor and nutrition,” said Heidi Clark, national sales and marketing manager, MicroDried, Nampa, Idaho. “This has opened the door for the use of minimally processed ingredients that retain the integrity of the original produce, ensuring the taste and texture of sauces reflect their natural origins.”

Dried fruits and vegetables feature nutrients, including high levels of antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals, said Clark. When added to condiment formulas, nutrition profiles are boosted.

“Antioxidant-rich berries, like blueberries or cranberries, can enhance the functional health benefits of sauces, providing an edge in the better-for-you category,” Clark said.

Sunsweet developed a no-added-sugar barbecue sauce with prune bits. The bits dissolve in liquid, delivering sweetness, fiber and body to the sauce. They are a whole-fruit ingredient and not considered an added sugar.

The grape is the star of balsamic. New York-based Ponti USA Inc., introduced a line of balsamic glazes sweetened by fructose from grapes.

Mashup mania

Ponti’s balsamic glazes feature an added layer of flavor, including chili pepper, fig or soy sauce. They also function as dipping sauces. Such twists or mashups are fueling flavor innovation in the condiment space.

“Think ‘newstalgia,’ such as lemon herb buttermilk ranch,” said Jos Muilwijk, global innovation marketing leader-culinary and snacks, IFF, Hilversum, The Netherlands. “It’s also about going bold, such as coconut and ginger combinations or creamy chipotle lime pairings, to truly ‘hot’ with signature adjectives, such as extreme, blazing or fiery.”

Lyons from Sensient agreed.

“Lean into your flavor choices,” she said. “Rather than a hint of this or a splash of that, boldly own your food’s flavor, such as triple garlic or four cheese.”

Butter Buds Inc., Racine, Wis., offers concentrated butter and dairy ingredients that assist with improving spicy flavor profiles, by rounding out the heat, said Lisa Spurlock, food scientist. The company also has a natural ghee ingredient for Indian sauces, such as curries and tikka masala.

“It gives an authentic boost in cooked butter notes,” Spurlock said.

Authentic is paramount with global flavors. Chemical volatiles are no longer acceptable. The same is true with heat. Briny ballpark jalapeño flavor is not going to cut it in a mayonnaise.

“The trend moved away from brain-exploding spicy heat to become more nuanced and multidimensional,” said Francesca Balestrazzi, senior manager marketing and corporate communications, Illes Foods, Carrollton, Texas. “Consumers are also more conscious of choosing food that is good for them.

“They demand healthier and natural options but don’t want to give up on delicious flavors. For this reason, sauces and dressings with botanical flavors, such as rose and yuzu, and functional ingredients, like turmeric, are gaining attention from health-conscious consumers.”

Better-for-you options

The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to mandate front-of-pack labeling for added sugars, sodium and saturated fat soon. Condiments tend to be heavy in sodium, and many contain added sugars, often while not tasting sweet. Some of the more stable oils tend to be higher in saturated fatty acids. The issues are prompting marketers to reformulate.

“Reducing added sugar is a complex and challenging process, as sugar contributes flavor as well as mouthfeel and texture,” said Lydia Fenley, senior food scientist at Illes Foods. “One strategy is to use multiple ingredients to replace and retain those desired characteristics.”

High-intensity sweeteners can boost sweetness. Bulking agents add back solids.

“Additional enhancement of sweetness can be achieved by adding very small amounts of vanilla, cane molasses distillate or various mineral salts to increase sweetness perception,” Fenley said. “The goal is always to adjust the balance of the sugar-replacing and enhancing ingredients to not only add back the sweetness but to balance any aftertaste for its duration so it’s not distracting or off putting.”

Angela Tipton, marketing manager, Kerr by Ingredion, Salem, Ore., recommends reformulating with fruit and vegetable juice concentrates, purees, essences and distillates. They can improve the nutritional profile of condiments, while meeting clean label demands. The ingredients contribute flavor, color, sweetness and solids.

Think salsa infused with berries, said Clark. Add a touch of sweetness with cherry or pineapple products, which balance with the savory notes of red bell peppers.

Flavors and texturants also may be combined to replace some or all the added sugar in condiments.

“Natural flavors that modulate taste enable manufacturers to develop healthy-for-you products with lower fat, salt or sugar content,” Muilwijk said. “They can partly or fully replace commoditized ingredients, providing consistent quality over time and possible cost-savings.”

Tyler Burns, senior food scientist, Wixon, St. Francis, Wis., said one of her favorite flavor modifiers reduces the perception of sourness.

“This is helpful when developing an acidified sauce that doesn’t lend itself well to an acidic flavor profile,” she said. “Additionally, it also works well to round out and smooth over the harshness of cost-effective vinegars.”

Taste modulators are not a drop-in solution. They often work in synergy with other ingredients.

“Emulsifiers and hydrocolloids will aid in mouthfeel, cling and viscosity when lowering sugar content while taste modulation technology will help to restore sugar-sweetness perception and mouthfeel,” Muilwijk said.

Ron Pagaoa, senior manager, category marketing savory, Ingredion Inc., Westchester, Ill., said, “Modified and clean label functional starches, hydrocolloids, plant-based proteins and citrus fibers, aside from providing viscosity, mouthfeel and stability, have the capability to replace other ingredients, such as fats, oils, cream and butter in sauces, dressings and marinades, thereby lowering the amount of fat in these products.”

Process technologies also may help reduce added sugars, said Emilie Shishido, head of marketing, Amano Enzyme USA Co. Ltd., Elgin, Ill. Specialty enzymes, for example, may aid in the physical, structural and organoleptic properties of food products. They help modify formulations so ingredients work better in different food matrices without adding ingredients to the label.

“Enzymes can break down starches to custom sugar profiles, for example,” Shishido said. “Instead of using monosaccharides and disaccharides, both labeled as sugars, we can create tri-saccharides that provide a bit of sweetness but are labeled as carbohydrates on the nutrition facts panel.”

Sodium reduction is trending, too. The traditional approach has been to increase other flavor drivers or add acid and herbs. More times than not, the end products lack zing.

“We have found employing umami-boosting and kokumi-boosting ingredients and flavor-enhancers is extremely effective,” McDonald said.

Cargill, Minneapolis, offers a crystalline-shaped salt that provides more surface area than standard cubed-shaped salt crystals. As a result, it delivers a more intense salty upfront flavor and enables brands to use less sodium chloride without impacting the consumer’s salty taste perception, said Janice Johnson, food technical adviser, Cargill, Minneapolis.

“It’s counterintuitive, using salt to reduce sodium in a liquid application, but it’s true in high-moisture systems like sauces, not just topical applications like crackers or chips,” Johnson said. “As an added bonus, it labels as salt, so brands won’t need to make changes to their ingredient panel.

“Our potassium chloride ultra fine product is another good option for sodium reduction in these applications. It features an extremely fine particle size, more like a pulverized fine powder, which results in quick dissolution for a quicker, less bitter taste that larger particle sizes can have.”

Many condiments rely on vinegar and oil as base ingredients. They may be layered and require shaking or stirring prior to use, or emulsifiers may be added to create a homogenous system.

“At the base of all of our products is vinegar, one of the tastiest and healthiest condiments ever created,” Sayid said. “Vinegar has no fat, no sugar and is very low in sodium but packs a lot of flavor.”

Vinegar is also an acid and assists with food safety by keeping the pH low. Formulators must never dismiss the importance of ensuring quality and safety throughout a condiment’s shelf life. Considerations must be made for products that undergo temperature fluctuations while sitting on counters and tables, especially during summer months.

“Oils enhance viscosity, lubricity, flavor and mouthfeel,” said Roger Daniels, vice president of research, development, innovation and quality, Stratas Foods, Bartlett, Tenn. “Oils provide nutrition, particularly essential fatty acids that the body cannot produce, such as linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids found in vegetable oils.”

Many better-for-you oils tend to be polyunsaturated. They are prone to lipid oxidation when exposed to air, heat and light. Using oils high in oleic acid, like monounsaturated fatty acid, is trending for both quality and nutrition reasons. Extra virgin olive oil is one such example. It helps limit saturated fat content while still delivering essential fatty acids and a decreased risk in going rancid.

“We have a variety of plant-derived oxidation control solutions that can help delay lipid oxidation and extend shelf life,” said Brenda Zavala-Livengood, senior marketing specialist, Kemin, Des Moines, Iowa. “These come as single ingredient solutions, such as rosemary extract, and synergistic blends combining plant-derived options.”

Color protection is important, too. Caramel color absorbs ultraviolet (UV) light radiation. It helps protect flavor and other compounds that are susceptible to UV degradation, said Jackie Blunk, application chemist, Sethness-Roquette, Rosemont, Ill.

“This will help maintain appearance through shelf life,” she said. “Most caramel color is naturally low in residual sugars and low sodium caramel colors are available.”