Barbecue season ‘expanding to a year-round event’

12-Feb-2015 - Last updated on 12-Feb-2015 at 10:41 GMT

Authenticity is the most important flavour attribute for consumers, the company says

Barbecuing is sociable, fun and above all tasty – and increasingly consumers are open to experimenting, according to ingredients firm Frutarom, which aims to tap into the trend with a new range of marinades.

Frutarom Savory Solutions has added three marinades for meat and fish to its portfolio, inspired by Asian and local ‘rustic’ cuisine.

Marketing manager Mirjam van Veldhuizen told FoodNavigator that people were no longer as constricted by rules on ‘what to do when’. “We see that consumers are open to experimenting, not only regarding what to put on the barbecue but also when to barbecue,” she said.

“The barbecue season is expanding to a year-round event,” Frutarom said, although it added that the marinades could also be used for stir fries, and cooking could also be done in the pan or the oven, rather than the barbecue or grill.

Two of the marinades, named Bali and Sereh, are Southeast Asian-style flavours – Bali emulates the peanut flavour of satay, which is popular on grilled meat skewers as a street snack in Indonesia, while Sereh is dominated by a lemongrass flavour. The third marinade, dubbed Delikata, is a ‘rustic onion’ flavour, which the company says capitalises on current interest in traditional cuisine.

Revival of traditional flavours

“Asian food is established, but we see a trend toward regional Asian cuisine where street food plays an important role. Street food is often an integral part of culture,” said van Veldhuizen.

“We observed a similar trend with local food. Traditional flavours are being revived. The key word with both trends is authenticity. Consumers appreciate that the flavours are authentic. All three new marinades have that in common.”

The marinades have been formulated without flavour enhancing ingredients, such as MSG, which van Veldhuizen said had become an important attribute.

“Consumers value transparency; our objective is to develop good tasting products with consumer friendly labelling,” she said, specifying that this meant having as few E numbers as possible.

“However, taste is important and luckily we have a realm of herbs and spices with which we can develop great tasting marinades without flavour-enhancing additives.”

Frutarom also took into account widespread industry requirements for allergen-free products when developing its satay flavour, which is peanut-free.

“Allergens is for many companies an issue,” said van Veldhuizen. “…The great thing about the Bali marinade is that flavour is well-balanced, so you won’t miss the actual peanuts.