Suzanne Callander reports on the latest confectionery ingredient trends and finds out how manufacturers can address them with a variety of innovative solutions.
With consumers increasingly looking for multi-sensory experiences identifying innovative combinations of interesting and bold flavours and layered textures are key when it comes to new product development for confectionery. Further, according to a 2024 Innova Market Insights report, 78% of consumers are seeking indulgence, while natural ingredients and texture are considered to be as important as flavour when it comes to chocolate products.
Cargill argues that bold flavour combinations, sensory richness, and responsible innovation need to come together perfectly to delight and inspire today’s consumers, who are increasingly seeking experiences that not only satisfy their sweet tooth but also reflect their curiosity, values, and desire for something different.
“One of the most exciting evolutions we are seeing today is the surge in swavoury crossovers – pairings that merge sweet and savoury in inventive ways. These ‘swalty’ (sweet-salty) and ‘swicy’ (sweet-spicy) flavour trends are gaining momentum, pushing boundaries with unexpected inclusions like chilli, sea salt, or smoked spices. Umami has even emerged as a standalone trend, with ingredients like miso, koji, black sesame, and truffle being woven into chocolate to add complexity and depth,” explains Anne Mertens-Hoyng, Category Director for Chocolate Confectionery at Cargill.
Cargill has also identified a new take on alcoholic confections which are no longer limited to the traditional liqueur pralines of the past. “Today’s cocktail-inspired creations bring flair and flavour,” says Anne. “Think margarita truffles with lime and tequila, piña colada centres with rum and coconut, or even Guinness-infused ganache. These aren’t novelties for novelty’s sake, they reflect a desire for premium, multisensory indulgence.”
The Cargill’s House of Chocolate team work alongside confectionery manufacturers to bring these trends to life. “Our facility in Belgium is able to blend culinary artistry with R&D precision,” says Anne. “From our demo kitchen to the pilot plant, we can help mould, enrobe, pan, or bake ideas into reality, testing flavours, refining textures, and fast-tracking development to meet fast-evolving market demands.” They are able to draw on inspiration from Veliche, Cargill’s gourmet chocolate brand, including recent innovations such as Veliche Euphoria, a white chocolate caramel button with rich cookie notes, a hint of salt, and a velvety finish. “It’s an ingredient that not only satisfies nostalgia but encourages experimentation across formats – from pralines to plated desserts,’ said Anne.
However, flavours and format are never the whole story. Anne pointed out that consumers expect indulgence to also align with their values, especially when it comes to sustainability, ingredient transparency, and dietary inclusivity. “This where our newest collaboration takes centre stage,” continues Anne. Through an exclusive global partnership with Voyage Foods, Cargill is able to offer a confectionery alternative that mirrors the taste and functionality of chocolate but is made without cocoa, nuts, or dairy and which is said to be a game-changer for manufacturers looking to develop more inclusive and sustainable products. “This alternative not only meets allergen-friendly demands but also offers environmental benefits,” argues Anne. “It has a 67% lower carbon footprint, 90% less land use, and 95% less water use, when compared to chocolate.”
Applications for this cocoa alternative are expected to be wide-reaching and it has already been used in cereal bars with cocoa-free chips and drizzles. “Voyage’s technology effectively decouples indulgence from its traditional source materials, enabling brands to meet both regulatory shifts and consumer desires for eco-conscious treats,” explains Anne. “We are excited by how this technology complements our existing portfolio of chocolate, coatings, fillings, and specialty fats. It gives confectionery producers the flexibility to innovate without compromise, allowing them to tap into new markets and address emerging dietary needs.”
Benefit stacking
Confectionery brands need to work quickly to embrace viral trends like the Dubai chocolate bar. According to Youri Dumont, Business Unit Director, Chocolate at Puratos, botanical and plant-based ingredients are currently driving consumer interest in confectionery. “One big trend today is floral and botanical flavours. Botanicals like rose and peach blossom, for example, can offer a delicate, bitter, aromatic taste, providing another layer of complexity to chocolate.”
According to the Puratos Taste Tomorrow ‘always on’ consumer insights, 68% of respondents worldwide believe botanicals boost the healthiness of chocolate. As such, consumers are increasingly looking for ways to enhance the benefits of chocolate by incorporating additional nutritious ingredients into their diet – often known as benefit-stacking. “Adding so-called ‘power’ ingredients like nuts, fruits, seeds and adaptogens is becoming a popular way for formulators to elevate the sensory experience with texture and functionality – bringing another element to confectionery,” says Youri.
Taste Tomorrow research also showed growing interest in plant-based confectionery across the US, UK and France, driven by rising awareness of the environmental and health benefits of a vegan diet. The challenge here for manufacturers is to create great-tasting plant-based options without compromising on quality or indulgence. “It’s an area ripe for innovation, with experts looking to overcome the common off-tastes associated with plant-based chocolate, while ensuring the all-important sensory experience,” continues Youri.
Puratos can offer a range of plant-based chocolate and cocoa-based fillings. For example, its new Belcolade 39% milk-alike chocolate focuses on a light colour and sweet taste, with the same workability and behaviour as regular chocolate, while its Carat Nuxel Hazelnut plant-based Cacao-Trace imparts a creamy, melting texture and underlying hazelnut taste as part of a nut filling.
Palm oil alternatives
With the development of customised structured triglycerides (TAGs) Nutriswiss has found a way to manufacture and supply natural, organic-quality fats whose functional properties can be adjusted to meet the needs of specific applications, using gentle distillation steps to optimise these fat alternatives. For example, TAGs can be used to replace palm fat in confectionery and baked goods with certified organic vegetable alternatives such as shea butter, cocoa butter, or coconut fat.
Demand for organic-certified functional oils and fats is growing, driven predominantly by the need to find practical alternatives to the use of palm oil. However, the functional properties of palm fat cannot be easily replaced by other vegetable fats and, while cocoa butter and shea butter have a better image, they need to be restructured to match the functional properties of palm oil.
“We can develop tailor-made TAGs for a wide range of confectionery and bakery applications,” explains Frank Möllering, Head of Research & Development at Nutriswiss. “They can be used in filling fats for bars and chocolates and can deliver the required melt-in-the-mouth behaviour. Nuts, nut oils and/or milk fat can be incorporated, and despite their delicate melting properties, the resulting fat creations have good temperature stability and prevent migration and fat bloom. The field is wide open and we expect there to be many customised solutions based on TAGs as every single formulation we develop teaches us more about controlling the process.”
The restructured TAGs are said to be easy for manufacturers to process, and as well as being organic, they are also dairy-free, so can offer a good alternative to milk and butter fats in vegetarian and vegan baked goods.
By using TAGs, manufacturers can gain flexibility, especially in the organic sector. “The times of just milk fat, pure coconut fat or pure cocoa butter have given way to tailor-made solutions that can still deliver the taste and mouthfeel customers expect when eating high quality confectionery. The right choice and combination of oils and fats enables us to offer an alternative to palm oil and its fractions for practically every area of application. The focus here is on physical properties and fatty acid composition of the source materials,” continues Frank.
The quality of fats and oils starts at the source of the raw materials and to avoid any negative impact on the product, Nutriswiss has established its own set of strict standards. It’s raw materials for are responsibly sourced and filled into ISO containers in the country of origin in accordance with food-grade standards, sealed and then transported directly to the refining plant. Approximately 85 % of the oils and fats refined and supplied by Nutriswiss are plant-based and a rapidly growing proportion are also organic, reflecting market demand.
Colour it natural
With consumers demanding more natural and plant-based ingredients and greater transparency over how products are made it follows that the use of natural colour solutions has also been an ongoing trend. It has been prevalent across Europe for some time and this is also rapidly becoming the industry standard in many other parts of the world too, especially following recent regulatory developments in the US.
“We are also starting to see a shift to other natural ingredients. For example, sugar replacements such as dates or coconut blossom sugar, although this trend is much less advanced,” explains Leonie Deistler an Application Technologist at GNT Group.
From a flavour perspective, GNT has also identified a trend for retro, super sour, spicy, and exotic fruits. “There are often limited editions of standard products but with different flavours that are either extreme or nostalgic. Probably the biggest trend right now, though, is offering new and fun textures based on well-known products,” says Leonie. “Freeze-dried confectionery is a huge part of this, with some brands even using social media to encourage consumers to put their products into the freezer to achieve a crunchy texture.”
Colour is a useful tool that can help ensure products attract consumer attention. “Colour is usually the first stimulus that consumers see and it sets expectations on flavour and quality while evoking immediate emotional responses. With spicy confectionery, for example, bright red can be a great choice as it’s been shown to enhance perceptions of both spiciness and sweetness. With texture twists, colour helps provide that instant, subconscious link to the original product,” explains Leonie.
“One of the most exciting new colour directions we have seen recently is Nature Lab, GNTs’ vibrant colour direction that demonstrates the diversity of nature. “It draws from a bold palette including vibrant teal, light green, pale yellow, golden orange, bright red and pink magenta and shows that natural colour doesn’t have to be boring. It’s perfect for brands that want to bring an energised kaleidoscope of colours to fuel their disruption of category norms,” continues Leonie.
An example of a Nature Lab product could be hard-boiled confectionery with a yellow, refreshing yuzu-flavoured top and a pink-red, aromatic dragon fruit-flavoured bottom. Manufacturers could also create 3D-printed, multi-layered jelly gummies that are rich in potent herbs, vitamins or other functional ingredients. Artisanal, high-end chocolate bars, moulded and tempered to a high-shine finish, could be created with a warm ruby-pink colouration and flavours of rose and rhubarb. These products would feature natural ingredients but defy preconceptions with hyper-real hues that evoke a sense of excitement and energy.
When it comes to new product development it is vital that brands find something that sets the product apart from the competition. Consumers are seeking interesting and exciting experiences, with bold flavours and textures, but never at the expense of their values and dietary expectations. Some may consider it a challenge to meet all of these expectations, but with the help of a growing variety of innovative ingredients, designed to help brands keep up with fast-changing trends, it should be considered as an opportunity to create a product that really stands out and excites consumers…Will you be the one to create the next viral trend?
