Sensory aspects of food consumption such as texture and mouthfeel have always been important in Asian food innovation, but in recent years there has been a significant uptick in demand for unique sensory experiences across multiple categories.
According to food corporation Cargill, this has been particularly evident in the indulgence food categories.
“There is a growing consumer shift towards rich, indulgent food experiences in South East Asia, where the food and beverage industry is extremely dynamic and growing rapidly,” Cargill Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand R&D Lead and Innovation Centre Head Beh Kok Wei told FoodNavigator-Asia after the launch of the firm’s Transformed Innovation Centre in Singapore.
“Our recent South East Asia Indulgence consumer study has found that flavour and elevated sensory experiences are some of the key purchase drivers for consumers when it comes to indulgent food categories of bakery, chocolate confectionery, ice-cream and café-style beverages.
“Importantly, 82% of consumers indicated that they value a ‘super-sensorial’ experience - the delivery of an enhanced, multi-sensory consumption experience.
“[Firms should also note that] 79% of consumers indicated willingness to pay a premium for distinctive textural experiences, and almost 70% to pay more for unique tastes and innovative flavours.”
Central to this rising demand for sensory stimulation is the growth of middle-class consumers with higher disposable incomes and affluence in this region, which has in turn accelerated consumer trends around health and wellness, convenience and indulgence.
“This has also led to consumer preferences being increasingly led by a desire for more novelty and heightened sensory experiences, as well as increasing demand for indulgent foods,” he added.
“[This has all culminated] in the need for more new flavours, formulations and menus; and along with the rising popularity of online food shopping and food deliveries, there is an urgent need within the food industry to develop new food technologies.”
Commercialising indulgence
With sensory innovation being such an important growth area, Cargill believes that a lot of product development in this region is likely to be focused here moving forward.
“Based on our observations and consumer insights, we foresee increased focus on innovative flavours and textures, which would include bold and unexpected flavour combinations as well as unique textures and presentations,” Beh added.
“There will also be a lot of focus on indulgence in the form of new formats for bakery, confectionery, ice-cream and cafe-style indulgent beverages, using ingredients such as specialty oils, cocoa powders, cocoa butter and cocoa liquors.
“Health and wellness is also still a major trend, so functional foods and beverages [utilising] sugar replacers, plant-based substitutes and [so on] will also remain very important in South East Asia.
“Today’s Asian consumer is increasingly adventurous yet discerning, so Cargill is working with food manufacturing and foodservice partners on in terms of developing commercially successful products for the Asian market [based on all these areas, via] our Transformed Innovation Centre.”