Look for twists on traditional flavors in the bakery aisle this fall. Bakers are fusing tried and true flavors with spices to give products a special kick. Instead of vanilla, it's vanilla-cardamom, and cocoa-chili flavor replaces ordinary chocolate. And in place of a traditional pretzel, pretzel-flavored breads and crackers are appearing in supermarkets.

“Cheese isn't just cheddar anymore, it's asiago and feta,” says Mariano Gascon, vice president, R&D, Wixon, St. Francis, Wis. In addition, Mexican-themed flavors now include specialized chiles, such as ancho and chipolte, he adds.

Additional trends include emphasis on health and wellness flavors, such as hibiscus tea varieties; superfruit flavors, including mangosteen, acerola, yumberry, goji and açai; and antioxidant-rich nuts. “While some superfruit flavors are simply delicious, others are a bit less palatable. For those that are less tasty, and due to the fact that many are still so unfamiliar to consumers, we recommend blending with complementary flavors, such as strawberry, cranberry, blueberry and so on,” says Erin Kate O'Donnell, marketing manager David Michael & Co., Philadelphia.

Trends also favor indulgent flavors, such as caramels, toffees and liqueurs; and natural flavors. “We are being asked for natural flavors in products that typically would contain natural and artificial. This trend has necessitated an increase in the quality of flavor types available as natural,” says Michelle Huber, flavor creation manager, sweet and beverage flavors, Kerry Ingredients and Flavours, Americas Region, Hoffman Estates, Ill. Bakery items also are taking cues from popular flavors in the beverage industry.

Methods

Flavor technology is advancing as flavor demands change. “One of the biggest advancements in flavor technology across the baking industry during the past few years is the process and improvement of micro-encapsulation,” says Mindy Edwards, senior flavor chemist, Wixon. Micro-encapsulation is a process where tiny particles are encased by a coating, which allows for the controlled release of the flavor, protection against oxidation and improvement in the release of volatile compounds. “The most effective method to retain the flavor in a baked good is micro-encapsulation,” Edwards adds.

“Encapsulated powders deliver the flavor better than liquid flavors because they are not as volatile as liquid flavors and hold up better through the baking stress,” agrees Arthur Redondo, Symrise, Teterboro, N.J. However, oil soluble flavors do offer a cost-effective way to include flavor, especially in applications such as icings. Water soluble flavors also can be a cost-effective choice for glazes. However, encapsulates or powders, offer a much longer shelf life than oil soluble flavors, which can become rancid, he adds.

Rather than only adding flavor to products, more bakers are opting to add flavors via inclusions, such as bits, fruit preps and coatings, a trend commonly seen in ice cream. “We are seeing an increase in multiple inclusions in one product, such as you see in ice creams where you have the use of ice cream bases, variegates and multiple inclusions,” Huber says.

Spray drying is the most popular flavor delivery method. It controls the release of the flavor and is resistant to the heating process, but still results in some loss of volatile flavor during the baking process.

To create a well-balanced baked product, Gascon suggests using liquid flavoring with a high water-vapor volatility in addition to an encapsulated or spray dried flavor. When heating a bakery item, “the evaporated water can cause ‘steam distillation’ of the flavor components,” Gascon says. “The lower the molecular weight and the more water soluble the individual ingredients are that make the flavor, the more losses you will have in the flavor due to heating.” Still, the compounds with low molecular weight are more volatile and therefore create an ideal strong aroma during baking. “If the flavor contains a high amount of highly water soluble ingredients, for example fruit and sweet flavors, they will flash off during baking, creating an intense aroma, but it will have very little contribution to the product itself,” he adds.

Challenges

When incorporating a new flavor, bakers must decide how to balance the flavor to make it compatible with the formula by adding or reducing sweetness, saltiness or acidity in the product, Huber says.

Communicating formula needs to a supplier can help the process go smoothly. Edwards uses a cookie to explain how to begin the process of rebalancing. “If you were to add a bacon flavor to a sugar cookie, you would be facing an intense sweetness in the sugar cookie that may or may not go well with the bacon flavor.” If lowering the sugar content does not balance the flavor, bakers can turn to taste modifiers to mask the sweetness, so the bacon flavor comes through.