Following the success of last year’s Flavors of the Future trends launch, Synergy Flavors has identified the flavors likely to be making a splash in the sports nutrition market, this time taking inspiration from The Mediterranean.
 
Last year’s flavor trends took inspiration from the Americas. This time the research has turned to the Mediterranean to uncover a hotlist of 10 emerging, growing, mainstream and established flavor trends with growth potential in the global sports nutrition market.
 
Synergy once again used a wide variety of data points including recent product launches, Internet search trends and social media to identify trending flavors in and around the Mediterranean from Southern Europe, to the Middle East and North Africa, which could add some taste appeal to many sports nutrition products. 
 
Finally, using its in-house sensory and flavor research capabilities, Synergy identified aromatic matches and suggested custom flavor pairings.
 
Utilizing this data, Synergy’s flavor creation and sports nutrition applications teams developed a range of 10 authentic flavors which have been paired for use in a variety of applications, from plant based protein bars, to whey protein and BCAA beverages.
 
The flavors range from niche to mainstream and were split into four key categories depending on their mass market appeal: Emerging, Growing, Mainstream and Established. The list includes less well-known flavors such as Baklava or Carob, to flavors such as apricot or pomegranate, which were deemed to have the widest appeal. To access the report, click here.
 
“The Mediterranean has long been seen as a culinary hotbed and the source of some of the freshest ingredients,” said Chris Whiting, category manager, nutrition. “Typically, consumers have a specific perception of Mediterranean cuisine, often Italian, but we’re starting to see growing interest in cuisines such as Turkish or Syrian.”
 
Innova Market Insights highlighted Mediterranean flavors as the fastest growing ethnic ready meals category, with a 39% increase between 2014-18. While classic Mediterranean cuisines are certainly responsible for a significant portion of that growth, increased exposure to more niche Mediterranean cuisines is also a significant factor.
 
There’s also been an increase in social media activity centered on food from the region. Data from Infegy (accessed via Mintel) showed that social media mentions for “The Mediterranean Diet” were up 111% in the U.S. between October 2018 and March 2019 demonstrating the influence of the region on cuisine and flavor.