It’s no secret that our perception of smell and taste are closely tied to our memories and moods. Flavors can illicit pleasant as well as not so pleasant responses, sometimes rekindling memories dating back to our early childhoods.

The sensation of flavor occurs when odor and taste signals come together in our brains. As you taste something your taste buds send signals to the frontal lobe of your cerebral cortex, the gustatory cortex. These gustatory stimuli help us recognize a flavor as desirable or undesirable. The signal is released in the form of neurotransmitters serotonin, and dopamine,  reinforcing the effects of our preferred tastes.

License to Chill

Mindfulness, improved sleep, managing your stress levels, and more self-care are trending product attributes we will see more of in 2022. To help those dealing with residual stress and anxiety, people are turning towards relaxation products as a major category trend. Flavors that taste just like the real thing also known as True-to-fruit flavors are especially trending in this category. Some popular flavors include Coconut Lime, Plum Blossom, Cranberry, Blueberry Mint, Pink Grapefruit, Pineapple, Orchard Fruits, Guava, Hibiscus Pear, and Sweet Tangerine.

Creating an Experience

Social situations have an impact on the correlation between mood and the food we consume. This year consumer experience trends are creating innovation in Organoleptic Branding. Organoleptic Branding is a form of sensory marketing that engages your customers’ senses of sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste. These experiences are designed to remind us of our favorite destinations, restaurants, and menu items.

Continuing trends in collaboration and brand partnerships are lending their hand in some new co-collaboration flavors. Justin Bieber teamed up with Canadian fast-food chain, Tim Hortons to develop three limited-edition flavors of donut holes: white fudge, sour cream chocolate chip, and birthday cake waffle. Hitting the shelves Q1 of 2022 is Chance the Rapper and Ben & Jerry’s new collab, a non-dairy flavored mint ice cream with chocolate brownies.

Organoleptic branding is an effective way to capture an audience and make your brand unforgettable. Sensapure flavor matching technologies can help replicate a market favorite flavor or create a brand new one. Sensapure’s Sensaroma technology was created for this very purpose, to ensure that the aroma of your flavors is just as strong as the day it was made – creating a memorable experience every time they open your product.

Traveling Tastebuds

Exotic flavors entice our taste buds with rich culture, tradition, and overall feelings of community. Many consumers are turning to their taste buds to take them on new adventures. Consumers are willing to try new ingredients and flavor profiles more than ever before, introducing more exotic flavors and different varietals. While actual exotic fruit powders are becoming increasingly harder to find and are often less sustainable,  Sensapure can create True-to-fruit options that taste like the real thing. With spicy and savory flavors trumping sweet in some categories, salty flavors are also making a comeback. Chili lime mango, pineapple habanero, tajin, and chamoy are becoming increasingly popular. Some interesting flavors coming from the Middle East are Mint Lemonade and Iced Coffee with Cardamom and Vanilla. While we also see the interest in Asian flavors like Lychee, Purple Yam, Melon Soda, and Tamarind.

Don’t Worry Eat Happy

Who doesn’t love their comfort foods? Healthy eating is good for you, but happy eating is more about feeling good. Trending flavors in this category are playful, personal, unique, or flavors that remind you of certain activities like laying on a beach. With social media continuing to influence the trends, presentation is key, which also involves bold colors and flavors. Mood-boosting flavors and your childhood classics can create the nostalgic feelings consumers are looking for. Some of our mood-boosting flavors include Bubblegum, marshmallow, whipped cream, apple pie, cake batter, maple syrup, fruity cereal, cotton candy, pretzel, and churro.

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