Synergy Flavours, a flavourings, extracts, and essences formulator, draws inspiration from the Michelin Great Britain and Ireland guide 2022 to produce new flavour profiles and combinations.
The acclaimed Michelin restaurant recommendations served as inspiration for Synergy Flavours’ most recent offerings. The French tyre manufacturer and Michelin guide creator said in 2021 that a monthly digital version highlighting suggestions and new entries will replace its yearly guide.
To cater to rising trends and developing consumer tastes, Synergy Flavours delved into ingredients, flavour profiles, and combinations highlighted in the 2022 Michelin Great Britain and Ireland guide.
“Taking inspiration from Michelin-starred restaurant menus helped us to anticipate new, inventive flavours and combinations,” said Vicky Berry, Synergy Flavours’ European Business Development Manager.
The ingredient and flavour producer believes that these trends will eventually permeate mainstream product releases.
“It was critical for us not just to look at new flavours coming in, but also to assess how they were being mixed and integrated,” Berry noted.
Flavors and flavour ideas that are new
Rhubarb and apple are new additions to the Inspiring Fruits range of fruit essences and flavours from the brand. Berry said that British seasonal fruits have lately been a solid favourite of gourmet creations, as chefs employ local food to reflect rising demands to prioritise the environment when selecting and sourcing products.
The UK-based firm has also created a number of flavour concept ideas based on its newly announced flavours in order to give insights into ideal flavour combinations. Rhubarb and basil, pear and verbena, blood orange and yoghurt, white chocolate and bergamot, rose and lychee, and grapefruit and honey are among the flavour innovations offered by the firm.
Favourite flavours and potent combinations
Synergy examined the dessert menus of 49 Michelin-starred restaurants in the United Kingdom to determine how different cooks stacked flavours and mixed characteristics.
It aimed to collect information for producers throughout the food and beverage sector and give culinary inspiration for future flavour advancements by analysing Michelin menus.
Synergy discovered that rhubarb was the most popular flavour on dessert menus, most likely owing to its seasonality and adaptability in numerous combinations, such as ginger or pistachio. While rhubarb was the most popular profile, Synergy discovered that it was applied differently in various places.
“While two-star Michelin restaurant Claude Bosi teamed rhubarb with black cardamom and green pistachio,” Berry explained, “it appeared to be the one-star restaurants that were really pushing this typically British fruit on their dessert menus.” Meadowsweet in Holt, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant, used a classic combo of rhubarb and ginger and added a twist with sweet cicely, a sweet aniseed-flavoured herb.
Chuski Falooda, a sumptuous iced dessert with rhubarb, basil seeds, and saffron, was invented by Jamavar, A1 Michelin-starred restaurant in London that explores pan-Indian flavours.
“Seeing experienced chefs come up with innovative interpretations on such a traditional flavour profile gave us a lot to think about and pushed us to seek more unique pairings,” Berry explained.
Classic flavours like chocolate, vanilla, and apple came in second. Synergy created new Belgian chocolate and blonde chocolate flavours in response to the newest premium indulgence trends and the continuous popularity of chocolate, allowing producers to give a twist to classic chocolate flavours.
Chefs have also demonstrated pear’s flavour potential. The sweet and less acidic flavours of pear, as opposed to apple, are a popular matching option in the culinary business with a variety of fruits, spices, nuts, and decadent components such as chocolate.
Premium pleasure is still available
To fulfil today’s customer needs, food and beverage makers are turning to flavour profiles to cover off-notes in nutritious items, as well as flavour solutions that allow for sugar or butter reduction without sacrificing taste.
Consumers, on the other hand, continue to pursue acceptable and premium indulgence trends by looking for sweet flavour profiles such as chocolate and caramel. “While external variables like inflation have clearly had an impact on customers’ buying patterns, it’s clear that people are still searching for a pleasure,” Berry added.
Some customers, for example, may cut back on alcohol purchases while still treating themselves to a premium beverage or a fancy dessert, according to Berry. Synergy Flavours has witnessed how rich, delicious flavours can provide refuge and solace in times of uncertainty.
“We’ve seen this across numerous applications, including Michelin meals, with traditional flavours like chocolate and caramel dominant throughout,” Berry explained.
Seasoning and local
Customers and merchants are constantly interested in what is happening and want to stay ahead of the curve by anticipating flavour trends. “Y-o-Y, we are witnessing an increase in the number of seasonal items introduced,” Berry stated.
Synergy intends to revisit the dessert menus in the summer of 2022 to map any seasonal influence and changes, and to adapt accordingly by developing new flavours to fulfil demand.
Applications for flavour
Synergy has created its new flavours and concepts to be adaptable, claiming that they may be utilised in a variety of applications such as bread, dairy products, sports nutrition, and drinks.
Synergy Flavours may foresee some of the next flavours, such as bergamot, kaffir lime, and honey, by using a trends-led approach to flavour production. As a result, Synergy has created a number of concept ideas based on its newly released flavours, such as rhubarb and basil, pear and verbena, white chocolate and bergamot, rose and lychee, and grapefruit and honey, to assist producers in creating appropriate combinations.