Citrus Bright

Citrus fruits—ranging from lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit to yuzu and ugli fruits—are in a category of their own, contributing bright flavors that can boost sweetness or modify piquancy in foods or beverages. The prominent acidity of citrus readily negates unappealing flavor notes and instills freshness and zest into a variety of recipes.

In seafood dishes such as ceviche, lime is an unmistakable carrier of the maritime briskness of seafood. The high acidity of the lime juice effectively “cooks” the fish and shellfish while both complementing the seafood’s natural flavors and masking overly “fishy” aromas and flavors.

The juice and pulp are not the only useful flavor components of citrus. Citrus peel, known as its “zest,” brings its own zing to dishes. Citrus zest contains powerful essential oils that provide intense aroma and flavor. Orange zest can enhance the flavor of chocolate desserts, creating a harmonious blend of sweet and tangy notes.

In bar formulations, lemon zest intensifies the citrus flavor, balancing the sweetness of the bar and adding a fresh, energizing aroma. Similarly, the strong lemony character makes an excellent bitter masker in vitamin- or other nutraceutical-enriched bar products. Citrus zest also is a suitable masker of “beany” notes in certain protein-boosted products.

Citrus has another benefit that sets it apart: Aroma enhancement. The volatile oils, concentrated in citrus peel, release strong floral fragrances that can mask less desirable aromas, with lemon or lime tempering the fishy odors of seafood the best known example. Citrus also can complement desired flavors to make them stand out. Orange and dark chocolate, for example. Vanilla is another aromatic botanical prized for its dual characteristic of flavor enhancement and off flavor-masking capacity.

A study published in 2022 in the research journal Foods demonstrated that not only do vanilla and lemon have the ability to positively alter the perception of sweetness; they can heighten the sensation of other pleasurable organoleptic characteristics such as texture and mouthfeel. Vanilla is commonly used in chocolate and baked confections to enhance the perception of sweetness and, in dark chocolate, to temper the natural bitterness. Lemon is even more versatile, influencing either sweetness or tanginess depending on the formulation, with both able to cover perceptions of bitterness.

Combining Ingredients for Inspiration

The ability of the hundreds of available herbs, spices, roots, rhizomes, and other botanical ingredients to evoke sweetness, mask bitterness, and provide umami—among other flavor-modifying capacities—allows research chefs to craft formulations with intricate and balanced flavors. As biodiversity provides us with seemingly endless options for new food plants and flavors, understanding how they work in combination can open up endless possibilities for creating new or enhanced recipes.

For inspiration, think of a Moroccan tagine, a classic North African combination of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, chili peppers, and citrus flavors that synergize to create a complex and multifaceted flavor profile. The sweetness from the cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves balances the heat from the chili peppers and the brightness from the citrus, while each ingredient’s unique characteristics contribute to a rich and satisfying dish.

Considering the ability of many of these botanicals to both help extend shelf life and provide a treasure trove of health-supporting phytochemical compounds, the advantages of using botanicals are undeniable. Moreover, the move toward natural flavors and modifiers has positioned many ingredient suppliers to become go-to sources for the ideal botanical boosters food and beverage formulators need. PF