Tracking Dessert Trends, Identifying Sugar Sources With Spectroscopy

MARKET TRENDS

Consumers want their desserts as snacks

More than nine out of 10 consumers (95%) tracked by Datassential reported having had dessert within the past week, most commonly as a late-night snack. Datassential’s Dessert Decadence report includes data and insights about the dessert habits of more than 2,000 consumers and also analyzed trends in dessert offerings from top restaurant and convenience-store chains over the past five years.

“Many consumers are having desserts as snacks, opening up an opportunity for grab-and-go desserts, take-home desserts on menus, and convenience-driven options,” said Renee Lee Wege, senior publications manager, in the report.

Sixty-three percent of consumers surveyed reported having had a dessert within the past day, and 21% are daily dessert lovers. Most respondents (77%) said they consumed their desserts at home. When asked when they had their last dessert, 26% said late at night, 23% at dinner time, and 23% as an afternoon snack.

Consumers are not concerned about the healthfulness of their choices, the report suggests. In fact, 47% of respondents said they don’t think about nutritional information when it comes to desserts. Datassential characterized this statistic as a reflection of the fact that many people are seeking out small, permissible indulgences to treat themselves or to satisfy a craving.

Retailers are seeing the boost in dessert popularity. Overall dessert sales increased for 45% of foodservice operators over the past year, Datassential research shows. Approximately half of operators’ dessert sales occur during dinner, and 15% of sales are from snacking occasions.

According to the report, limited-edition offerings are increasing back to pre-pandemic levels. There were 622 limited-edition dessert launches by the top 250 restaurant and convenience-store chains in 2022, an increase from 558 launches in 2021.

Additionally, 57% of consumers stated that they are interested in nostalgic desserts, with Gen Z consumers in particular seeking old-school flavors. Flavor examples include s’mores, cookie dough, birthday cake, and banana pudding.

CONSUMERS

Food choices trigger Gen Z stress

Gen Z consumers are feeling pressure to show their social values through their food purchases and to make the right choices, according to new data from the Ketchum Food Consultancy.

Ketchum calls this phenomenon the “say/eat gap,” where members of Gen Z are concerned about certain issues but not necessarily compelled to change their eating habits. For example, while 76% of respondents said that sustainability is an important factor when making a food purchase, only 16% reported looking for sustainably sourced ingredients on food labels.

According to the data, 63% of those surveyed say they feel too much pressure to change the world through their behaviors. Further, they feel that social media creates pressure related to their food choices, and 67% are worried that they spend too much time on social media.

In addition, Gen Z consumers are more likely than other generations to say that food makes them feel guilty, anxious, uncomfortable, and stressed. The anxiety Gen Z consumers feel breaks down along gender lines. The data show that 72% of men surveyed are confident about making healthy food choices compared with 63% of women surveyed. Further, women reported more pressure than men to eat a certain diet and not gain weight.

Members of this generation also feel confused about the food industry and the overall food system. According to Ketchum’s data, 72% of those surveyed think the food system is broken, and 42% don’t feel that food companies understand them.

However, food is still a way for Gen Z consumers to express themselves and to explore their interests. The data show that 82% of respondents enjoy cooking at home, 70% cook to connect to their family and heritage, and 63% enjoy trying new types of cuisines.

RESEARCH

Identifying sugar sources with spectroscopy

Spectroscopy and chemometrics can be employed to distinguish between sucrose from sugar beets and sucrose from sugarcane, according to a new study published in the Journal of Food Science.

Sucrose for commercial use can be extracted from both sugar beets and sugarcane. Sugarcane is considered the more economical source, as two to four times more sucrose can be obtained from one decare of sugarcane than from one decare of sugar beets. However, some countries have regulations in place that require sugar production from a specific source.

The researchers prepared samples of sucrose solutions and observed their absorbances using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The data were then used for a series of statistical tests, including linear discriminant analysis, classification and regression tree, and soft independent modeling of class analogy to determine if the two sources displayed distinct differences.

Though both sources produce essentially the same product, there are some slight differences in samples obtained from sugar beets and sugarcane. For example, in the samples used for this study, the sugarcane juice contained 5% non-sugar compounds and 5% fibers, while the sugar beet juice contained 2.5% non-sugar compounds and 10% fibers.

According to the study, the UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum was highly sensitive for impurities used to classify the sucrose samples, and all classification methods were highly effective. The researchers hypothesized that the spectral differences are most likely due to the non-sugar compounds present in the samples.

The researchers believe that optical spectroscopy can be used in food science to verify the source of sugar without complex chemicals or high-level experts. They recommend this method of detection as an affordable and quick approach.

FLAVORS

Sourdough key compounds revealed

Researchers have identified 21 key chemical compounds, including 10 tastants and 11 odorants, that make sourdough bread unique compared with other breads.

Thomas Hofmann, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and president of the Technical University of Munich, put together a research team to study the unique properties of sourdough bread. The research technique, known as “sensomics,” involved methods such as chromatography and mass spectrometry to isolate flavor-active compounds in bread. Specifically, the research team studied the sourdough bread crumb, or the soft inside part of a loaf.

Key taste compounds include salt, lactic acid, and acetic acid; the latter two are formed during the fermentation process. These compounds together create the sourdough “essence,” according to the researchers.

Following the isolation and identification of the compounds, the research team used “unified flavor quantification,” a technique they developed to analyze the compounds simultaneously, to compare compounds found in sourdough with those found in other types of bread. They found that while the key sourdough compounds were present in other yeast-based breads, they were in much smaller concentrations.

The researchers’ next goal is to use their analytical techniques to study salt reduction in breads without compromising on taste. They believe these methods will help the baking industry in the future.

“This was the first time the key taste and aroma compounds of bread crumb were elucidated using the sensomics approach, and we hope what we learned will help bakers create the best sourdough breads they can,” Laura Eckrich, a graduate student in Hofmann’s lab, said in a press release.

RETAIL

How inflation will impact holiday spending

Consumers think that inflation will impact their holiday shopping, but only a quarter of them expect it to significantly affect holiday meal spending, the same percentage as last year, according to a new report from 84.51°.

84.51° is a retail insights company that uses data from Kroger to determine shopping trends. The company’s report on holiday spending was compiled from consumer surveys and shopping data from Kroger stores.

According to the 84.51° report, shopper concern about inflation is at its lowest level since October 2022, but 65% of consumers are still concerned. Further, 45% of shoppers believe inflation will greatly impact discretionary spending during the holidays, and 38% believe it will greatly impact their plans for going out to eat.

While inflation remains a concern, consumers stated they are still willing to spend more on certain items during the holidays, including gifts, seasonal or limited-edition snack items, and desserts.

The majority (76%) of shoppers surveyed stated that they are planning to purchase branded products similar to those they normally buy throughout the year for their holiday meals. This is compared with 19% of respondents who are planning to buy premium brands or products.

In-store shopping is still the preferred choice for holiday groceries, despite the rise of online shopping since the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers surveyed said they prefer in-store shopping at this time for the selection, sales, and personal shopping experience.

Consumers still seek store-bought versions of holiday side dishes, such as cranberry sauce, pies, and stuffing, while most shoppers (77%) stated that they make their own mashed potatoes from scratch.

COMMUNITY

Meet the leader: Yangyang Jin

Yangyang Jin is the past chair of the New York Section of IFT. She currently serves as the global business manager of food and nutrition at Sun Chemical. She earned a master’s degree in food science from Rutgers University and an MBA from New York University.

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Community

What do you think the biggest flavor trend in 2024 will be?

I think mushroom is really picking up in all aspects of the value chain. Mushroom flavor or a complementary flavor will become more important in 2024.

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