Whilst it is well-known that spice and heat are very important taste and flavour profiles for consumers in many Asian markets, McCormick believes that there is a need to look at the various levels and types of spicy flavours across the various food categories in order to develop the best flavour profiles.
“What is important to note here is that heat does not only come from chilli, which is a common misconception,” McCormick Vice President for Flavour Solutions Betty Juliana Tan told FoodNavigator-Asia at the recent Fi Asia Indonesia 2024 event in Jakarta.
“For instance, looking at a spicy soup such as ginger soup for example, we would incorporate pepper for that initial heat on the tongue and chilli for a longer burn from tongue to throat – just one profile alone will not bring out the desired experience.
“Similarly when looking at snacks, just using one spice profile would make it impossible to have real variety, so again the levels of spice required need to be clearly differentiated, and we have developed concepts with ginger and lemongrass for Thai spa chips targeting Thailand, or capsicum and tamarind for spicy tamarind chips targeting Indonesia.
“Spicy flavours are especially important in markets like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia where consumers grew up with this across most of the savoury food categories from their snacks to their main dishes, and so creating new innovation in this area is both challenging and interesting.”
In addition to working with the various levels of heat from different spices, the firm has also found that one of the most important factors to consider is to keep the flavours interesting.
“Given the fact that spice is essential to Indonesian consumers, this is considered a basic necessity and what is interesting to them now is the addition of new dimensions to this spice,” she added.
“This means things like spicy plus sweet or spicy plus sour, with sourness really being a very in-demand trending combo with spiciness now.
“Spiciness is all about the sensorial and eating experience, which comes back to the different types and levels of spices used as these all have different base heat levels and release times, which lead to the different experiences.”
Salt and cost reduction
In addition to all of this, there is a rising demand in Asia for reduced-sodium options in their foods, a somewhat more expensive demand coming at a time when ingredient costs are on the rise.
“Cost is a very big topic of discussion in the food sector today – one very obvious example is with cocoa, where supply is low and prices are high so many manufacturers are looking for alternatives, and the same conversations are happening all throughout the industry,” she said.
“We are seeing many consumers asking for lower salt and sugar options driven by health and wellness factors, and we tend to focus on using multiple flavours to enhance the taste of products to achieve this, such as using herbs and spices that convey the heat experience as it gives consumers that added taste element [with potentially less salt or sugar].
“So in Indonesia for example, we see that spicy is a permanent flavour fixture, and within the savoury foods sector we are seeing an increased move towards garlicky and umami flavours alongside salt reduction.”
