Apple Flavors

As summer begins to fade into fall, and the leaves of trees begin to colorfully wither to expose their fruits, we thought it a good time to highlight the benefits, diversity and uses of one of the most traditional and popular flavors used in beverages and foods: Apple.

“Boring,” you say? Here are 12 interesting facts about apples:

1. The apple evolved from the rose family about 35 million years ago.
2. Archeologists have evidence that humans have been eating them since 6,500 B.C.
3. The apple tree originated in the region between the Caspian and Black Seas but now grows on most continents.
4. The largest apple-producing countries are, in order, China, the United States, Turkey, Poland, and Italy.
5. Apples are the 2nd most valuable fruit grown in the U.S., worth $1.9 Billion in 2005. Oranges are first.
6. America's longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866.
7. One of George Washington’s hobbies was pruning his apple trees.
8. The average apple tree yields about 840 pounds of fruit per year.
9. Most apples are still hand-picked.
10. An average apple has 80 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and zero fat, sodium or cholesterol.
11. The soluble fiber and antioxidants in apples help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
12. Apples ripen 6-10 times faster at room temperature than in refrigeration.

Source: The University of Illinois

Apple Varieties: 8 Most Popular in the U.S

Did you know that only one-third of the 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world are grown in the United States? Of those U.S. varieties about 100 are grown commercially in 36 of the 50 states. This range provides an abundance of nuance in terms of flavor character and complexity that flavor companies can offer. Here they are in the order of popularity:

1. Fuji
2. Golden Delicious
3. Gala
4. Granny Smith
5. Honeycrisp
6. Northern Spies
7. Pink Lady and
8. Red Delicious

abelei creates all of these apple varietals as liquids or powders; water or oil soluble; Artificial, N&A, Natural, and Organic; Whole Foods Compliant, Non-GMO, Kosher and Halal. Of course, our team of creative flavorists, analytical chemists, food & beverage technologists and sensory scientists can create flavors to suit any other apple varietals you desire. Just send us a peck of those apples to taste, analyze and create!

Familiar, Pliable and Compatible Flavor Profiles

Among the things that make apple a great flavor option in most foods and beverages are, first, its familiarity and almost universal acceptance (when’s the last time you heard even a kid say, “yuck, apple”?). Second, most apple varietals have a delicate, pleasant but fairly non-descript taste, making them great candidates for blending with a wide variety of other flavors. Such a quality gives flavor, food and beverage companies the ability to create a vast range of distinctive flavor profiles with apple as the soft support structure. Examples of such flavor-combos are Cinnamon or ‘Spiced’ Apple, Rosemary-Apple, Hickory-Smoked Apple, Baked Apple Whiskey and Graham Cracker Apple Pie Ala Mode. Email me today at tgooding@abelei.com and request a broader list of other creative flavor ideas based around the apple. Just put ‘Apple Flavor Combos’ in the subject line.

Apple’s Broad Product Application Range

The range of beverage and food products in which apple flavors can be use is very broad. Over the years abelei has supplied apple flavors for use in water, juice, tea, energy, sports performance, and various functional drinks. Our alcoholic beverage customers use apple flavors in various spirits (vodka, rum, liqueur, whiskey), hard cider, hard seltzers, cocktails, and malt-based coolers. As for sweet treats, apple flavors are well suited for gummy, hard candy, chewing gum, cookies, cakes and dairy-based desserts. And, as for better-for-you products, our apple flavors can be found in oatmeal cereals, bar & meal replacement products, fish oils and dietary supplements.

Contact abelei to Initiate a Project or Request Flavor Samples

abelei hopes the above information is helpful to your New Product Development process. If you would like to initiate a development project with our team of professionals, please click on the Schedule A Call button below. To order free flavor samples with suggested starting use levels in your product base, please click the Request A Sample button below.

With Flavorful Regards,

abelei flavors!