Treatt adds natural apricot to US flavor line
Treattarome soft fruit flavor line and says the new ingredient
could make headway in a flavor category that has not been commonly
used in North America.
"Consumers in the US are not particularly familiar with the intense flavor of fresh apricot, as more than half of the US apricot production goes into dried fruit.
However, today's consumers are increasingly open to unusual and exotic flavors, like apricot," Giles Bovill, senior business and group marketing manager with Treatt, told FoodNavigator-USA.
Treatt says the new ingredient is 100 percent natural and obtained directly from the fruit.
It foresees uses for the ingredient particularly for dairy, alcoholic drinks, juices and juice drink applications.
"With a more tart and sweet flavor than peach, and a strong flowery character, apricot is a versatile flavor that can be used on its own or in combination with other flavors to impart a luscious fruity character," said Bovill.
With headquarters in the UK, the global organic flavor and fragrance firm set up US operations in 1989, initially as Florida Treatt, and in 2002 this became Treatt USA.
The company has a particular focus on ingredients marketed for their natural attributes, given the popularity of this concept with consumers.
"Natural is an important market trend across the whole food and beverage industry, and a trend on which Treatt places great emphasis when developing new products," said Bovill.
Made from wholly distilled fresh apricots, Treatt says its apricot Treattarome 9853 carries floral front notes with a strong benzaldehyde middle and an apricot skin finish, which it said balances the benzaldehyde.
"When developing this product, Treatt looked at a number of apricot varieties from various regions," said Bovill.
"Following extensive trials, the apricots used in this particular ingredient are of US origin."
According to Treatt, its apricot Treattarome 9853 is a high impact distillate collected using specialized proprietary technology for maximum flavor extraction.
The ingredient can be used at varying dosage levels and is water soluble and water white in appearance - thereby making it particularly suitable for clear beverages.
Apricot Treattarome 9853 is the latest addition to Treatt's expanding portfolio of 100 percent natural distillates, which include cherry, peach, guava, passion fruit, strawberry and raspberry varieties.
Natural beverages Natural products make up an important and growing trend in the beverage industry, as consumers are seeking out products that do not contain artificial preservatives and other additives.
According to Mintel, 'All Natural' was the fourth most frequent claim made on beverage products launched in the US in 2007, appearing on some 542 products listed in Mintel's Global New Products Database.
