Taste Modulators Market Assessment, By Type [Sweet, Salt, Fat, Others], By Application [Food and Beverage, Pharmaceuticals], By Distribution Channel [Online, Offline], By Region, Opportunities and Forecast, 2017-2031F

Taste Modulators Market Assessment, By Type [Sweet, Salt, Fat, Others], By Application [Food and Beverage, Pharmaceuticals], By Distribution Channel [Online, Offline], By Region, Opportunities and Forecast, 2017-2031F

Global taste modulators market is projected to witness a CAGR of 8.35% during the forecast period 2024-2031, growing from USD 1.59 billion in 2023 to USD 3.01 billion in 2031. Factors such as rising cases of diabetes and cancers, consumers’ increasing preference for low-calorie and animal-free or vegan substitutes, surging demand for healthier food options like natural sugars and salt favor substitutes combined with rich culinary trends are fueling the growth of the taste modulators market.

The demand for ready-to-eat food has propelled the manufacturers to use taste modulators in their offerings. Additionally, rising demand for tasty, functional, and healthier foods, inclination toward consumers’ preference for nutritional food options, and rising number of obese patients fuels the growth of the market.

Flavorchem announced the launch of Taste Mod Sweet, in May 2022, which is its latest taste modulator. The company claims that the product, being 40 times sweeter than sucrose, enhances sweetness in drinks with a 30% reduction in sugar content while maintaining the nutritional content. They have labeled the product as being natural, non-GMO, and vegan, thereby attracting the emerging health-conscious consumers.

Apura Ingredients introduced ten taste modulators in 2022, for the application in beverage industry, including high intensity low and no calorie sweeteners (LNCS), multifunctional taste modulators, and bulk LNCS. It launched PuraSweet which is its proprietary initiative for sugar reduction. Labeled as Natural Flavor, this product provides thermally stable sweetness and helps in enhancing the flavors of the beverages resulting in 30 percent sugar and calorie reduction, saving a cost of upto 25 percent on the overall spend.

Applicability in Food and Beverage Industry to Dominate the Market

The taste modulators are mainly used in food and beverage industry more over other industries. The dominance is signified due to its flavor enhancing properties in food and beverages, maintaining the nutritional level of the food product. The taste modulators, enhances the flavor profile of the food, making it more palatable, catering the dietary preferences of the consumers such as low-calorie, sugar free or fat free food.

Sweegen announced the launch of Sweetensify flavors in April 2023, which is its newest flavor offering for the food and beverage industry to deliver tasty food products to the consumers. Sweetensify flavors improve and modulate sweet flavor, creating a sugar-like experience, thereby pushing the boundaries of healthier product innovation. The brand targets the taste receptors on a biochemistry level which provides the company with the competitive advantage over other players in the market.

In June 2023, T. Hasegawa USA introduced new flavor enhancers, Hasearoma and ChefAroma in the North American market. The offerings were launched to replicate and provide authentic tasting food and beverages in the market. The product offers sweet and savory flavor which gives a burst of flavors to the consumers in their first bite itself.

Plant-Derived Taste Modulators Expanding the Market

Plant derived taste modulators are driving the growth of the market due to reasons such as aligning with the consumers preference for healthier and sustainable options of taste modulators than the synthetic or artificially created taste modulators.

These taste modulators are rich in nutrients, have higher content of protein and lower levels of fat. Thus, the plant-based or vegan taste modulators are highly nutritious and are applicable to the consumers’ several dietary preferences.

In Mar 2023, Sensient Flavors & Extracts announced the launch of Nacre umami booster extract taste modulator portfolio. Being an extraction of plant protein, Nacre is a clean, vegan, and transparently sourced vegetable protein-derived taste modulator solution in umami flavor. The applicability of taste modulator is in meats, bread products, and snacks for substituting the salt with the product. Additionally, the product has been extracted sustainably and produced naturally with minimal processing and a low carbon impact.

Zero-Sugar Products Acting as a Catalyst

The sweet taste modulator dominates the market over the other types of taste modulators. The trend has been observed due to the rising health concerns among the consumers such as rise in diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and dental issues such as cavities and insulin resistance which are a cause of excess sugar consumption. Hence, consumers tend to substitute the normal sugar with sugar-free sweet modulators which enhances their palate and helps in maintaining their health.

In June 2023, Kerry Group P.L.C., announced the launch of Tastesense, its latest offering which is an advanced solution for enhancing the taste of low or completely sugar free products. The launch is certified to be the first organic sugar free sweet modulator in the United States market. The product is an affordable substitute for sugar and stevia, providing the sweetness level close to that of sugar.

The sugar free taste modulators are widely used in food and beverage industry as a sugar substitute without compromising on the taste of food, driving the growth of the market.

Natural Sweeteners to Drive the Growth of the Market

The natural sweeteners are plant derived sugar substitutes, which are free from chemicals. They drive the growth of the market as they are healthier options which enhance the sweetness in the food, beverages, and other items. They are naturally and sustainably sourced and produced from fruits, vegetables, and herbs. These taste modulators are gaining popularity due to their clean labelling which has become a preference for the modern consumers. Moreover, natural sweet modulator promote health and wellness by reducing excessive sugar consumption which might lead to various health concerns such as obesity and diabetes.

In June 2023, Icon Foods announced the launch of its taste modulator, SteviaSweet RM95 which is a 95 percent Rebaudioside M stevia extract. The natural sweet taste modulator is designed to have a clean flavor without any bitter notes which is mostly related with other forms of stevia. The taste modulator provides a very similar taste to that of sugar preventing the need of adding expensive sweet taste modulators to the cuisine. The product has been developed to suit a variety of applications such as carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, dairy and non-dairy products like milk, yogurt, ice cream, condiments, fruit products, baked goods, nutraceuticals, and others.

Future Market Scenario (2024 – 2031F)

Innovations by the key players are observed to bring novel taste modulators in the market for the consumers, eliminating the common and traditional taste modulators present in the market. They are shifting their product offerings towards more natural and plant-based taste modulators as they are anticipated to gain more popularity in the future.

For instance, Doehler has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Ixora Scientific in April 2023, to discover and commercialize natural taste modulators derived from botanicals and cooperate around natural ingredient systems and integrated solutions for global food and beverage industry. The product portfolio comprises a sweet taste modulator designed to strengthen sweet taste intensity, delivering sugar mouthfeel and early onset; maskers for astringent, bitter, sour, and plant protein off-tastes; and boosters for creaminess, alcohol spiciness, carbonation perception and vanilla profile.

Key Players Landscape and Outlook

Key players in the market of taste modulators are helping in the growth by focusing on continuous product innovation, retail expansions, and strategic marketing. The manufacturers are actively expanding their product portfolio, increasing the base of the customers and catering to their evolving needs. The key players are expanding the manufacturing units for expanding their production.

In November 2023, Ingredion Incorporated, announced the expansion of its stevia-based taste modulator, PureCircle production facility in Malaysia. The expansion was in line with its aim to extend its dominant position as the largest scale operator for stevia ingredients from bioconversion. The expansion grows PureCircle’s bioconversion technology capacity, supporting four times its current capacity for such ingredients. The investment was aimed to significantly increase the scale and supply of the best-tasting stevia leaf ingredients for replacing sugar and artificial sweeteners across food and beverage products. The investment in the production capacity by the company is aimed to produce stevia ingredients, like Reb M and other better-tasting steviol glycosides, unlocking a deeper sugar reduction possibility and optimized taste performance for companies of all sizes.