Blueberry Flavor

As a flavor creator and supplier, abelei pays close attention to what’s trending. We do so by listening to conversations in social media; reading market reports on various fruits, nuts, spices and other edible commodities; watching what pops up on restaurant menus; noting the flavors selected for various new, packaged foods and beverages; and tracking flavor sample requests from hundreds of current and prospective customers over time.

A few years ago, in the middle of winter, we noticed a significant uptick in requests for blueberry flavors, as well as mixed berry flavors in which blueberry was a stipulated part of the profile. The size of the first wave was not huge but it was obvious. Since then other surges in blueberry requests have occurred more frequently than in most years or decades past.

A look at the world supply of blueberries confirms a significant upward trend. From 1970 to 2010 the annual global supply of blueberries (and presumably consumption) increased by more than 11% per year, a nice run for sure but modest compared to the last seven years. From 2012 to 2019, the blueberry supply curve went nearly vertical with annual growth averaging nearly 15%.

Blueberry Characteristics That Drive Growth

What Is Driving the Growth of Blueberries? As a flavor guy I wish I could say it was the incredible, distinct flavor of what Native Americans first called “star fruits”, due to the 5-pointed star shape at the blossom end of the blueberry, but that is probably not the case. In fact the flavor of blueberries is generally subtle with common descriptors being, sweet, floral, woody, drying, and musky with a touch of soft acidity… definitely not the rock star of the berry family. However, their “understated” flavor makes blueberries great compliments to other fruit, floral, sweet-brown and nutty flavor profiles - more on this later.

The greater allure and rise of the blueberry may have more to do with its size, texture, color and healthfulness. With a diameter of between 5 and 16 mm, a handful of blueberries makes a nice 30 calorie snack. Many people appreciate the texture and the soft pop when biting into a blueberry as much as their pleasantly sweet aftertaste. All of this contributes to blueberry’s appeal when used in topping desserts, blending into smoothies, or filling bars, pies and other folded foods. Blueberries are also one of the few naturally grown foods with a deep blue color, compliments of the pigment anthocyanin, which itself is the source of many healthful benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer, increasing insulin response, reversing age-related memory loss, and lowering blood pressure.

Blueberry Flavor Profile

The blueberry flavor profile is pliable and compatible. When a fruit, vegetable or other edible natural product has a nondescript or subtle flavor character, flavorists and food/beverage marketers are inclined to take liberties with defining and applying its taste profile to new products. Such creative license often results in more interesting and appealing flavor profiles than the actual fruit exhibits. The delicate nature of Blueberry lends itself to such adjustments and its profile can be bent to make it bolder, more floral, jammy, low-bush / wild-like, etc.

Blueberry Flavor Pairings

In addition, blueberry is often used as a subtle sidenote or in combination with other fruit flavors (soft, citrus, or tropical), as well as floral, sweet-brown and nut flavors. Following are lists of such flavors that pair well with blueberry.

Floral & Aromatic Pairings

• Agave
• Basil
• Bergamot
• Cooling Mint
• Cucumber
• Elderflower
• Ginger
• Hibiscus
• Lemon Zest
• Mint
• Orange Flower
• Rosemary
• Tamarind
• Tea (Black, Green or White)
• Vanilla Bean

Sweet Brown

• Brandy
• Burnt Sugar
• Cake
• Cheesecake
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Donut
• Vanilla
• White Chocolate
• Yogurt

Fruits: Soft, Citrus Tropical, Berries

• Apple
• Banana
• Coconut
• Cherry
• Cranberry
• Grape
• Lemon
• Lime
• Peach
• Pomegranate
• Raspberry

Nuts

• Almond
• Peanut
• Walnut

Looking for a Blueberry Flavor?

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Flavorful regards,

abelei flavors, the source of good taste!