Get the inside scoop about some of the unique ingredients featured in our upcoming Limited Edition Sweet Dreams Collection. Food Technologist Brian Duffy explains his thought process in utilizing these ingredients, while also offering his tips for getting creative in the development process.
Each of our special collections are usually focused around a theme that reflects current trends in the market. Our upcoming collection, the Limited Edition Sweet Dreams Collection, however, was inspired by something a little different… Looking around the food ingredient industry, we identified some innovative, and most importantly, fun ingredients that are a little bit outside of the box. The ingredients that inspired this collection were vibrant natural colors, shimmering edible glitters, and popping crystals. Typically, flavor is the star of a seasoning, but these ingredients allow color, visual effects, and physical effects to take the spotlight. They still taste amazing, but they add extra visual appeal that really will draw consumers in. We really wanted to dive into these ingredients and come up with a theme that would truly get consumers, our customers, and us excited about food!
Each of the fantasy-inspired seasonings in our upcoming collection features a vibrant color that was provided by natural color powders derived from fruits and vegetables. These colors work at low usage levels in both dry and wet applications. We were able to use the colors in these seasonings to invoke the light pink color of a rosé wine for our Strawberry Champagne Donut Seasoning and provide the fantastical blue color of our Cotton Candy Unicorn Latte Seasoning.
Both the Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade Type and Glistening Tropical Gummy Seasonings contain edible glitter. This helped us achieve a fun and unique appearance that helped us really invoke our vision of fantasy. Our raspberry lemonade was inspired by the iconic “love potion.” While the beverage is deep red, the color of love, we felt that glitter provided that extra something special to invoke that whimsical feeling of love. The tropical gummy seasoning was inspired by pixie dust. This seasoning not only has edible glitter that provides that fairy glinting sparkle, but also a luster powder that provides a metallic sheen that helps the entire gummy catch light in a fantastical way.
When thinking about seasonings, you don’t often think about physical effects that you can build into a blend. Most people are familiar with popping rocks and simply regard them as a fun treat. We saw this as a way to be even more true to the concept we were trying to replicate. While using natural flavors to mimic the taste of champagne we were able to use carbonated crystal candy to bring the blend to the next level and impart that iconic sparkling wine feeling of champagne in a dry application. While we chose to focus on the sparkling effect, there are other ingredients in the industry that can provide other interesting effects. There are ingredients, for example, that can provide that menthol cooling effect, an alcohol type astringency, that burning horseradish sensation and other unique sensations. When building a fun, but authentic experience, its important to think further than color and flavor and consider if there are any other ways we can enhance the eating experience.
All in all, this collection was a fun exercise in the innovative ways that seasonings can enhance the eating experience. Through color, visual, and physical effects, there are numerous options developers can consider when looking to bring their food to the next level.
Need help bringing fantastical food ideas to life? Look no further. Contact our experts today!
About the Author
Brian Duffy has been a Food Technologist at Fuchs North America since 2019. Brian graduated in 2014 from the Culinary Institute of America where he received his associate degree in culinary arts and his bachelor’s degree in culinary science. His passion is bringing the culinary arts and food science together to bring new food experiences to our customers.
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