NOVEL INGREDIENTS
products that combine visual excitement with a credible natural positioning. According to figures from GlobalData
around 41% of global consumers consider ‘free from artificial ingredients’ essential when choosing food and beverages, while 26% actively avoid artificial colours and flavours. A US poll commissioned by Oterra found that 44% of respondents were concerned about artificial colours in confectionery and chocolate.
Blue is the colour Phil highlighted one of the most significant colour trends – the evolution of natural blues.
He said: “Spirulina already
performs well in a range of confectionery applications, and Oterra’s Arctic Blue adds a technologically and environmentally exciting dimension. Our spirulina is cultivated continuously in an aquaculture facility in Iceland using clean energy, waste heat and carbon dioxide from an adjacent geothermal power plant. The system uses only 1% of the water and land required by traditional open-pond cultivation. In practical terms, Arctic Blue is suited to products where spirulina shines, including jelly gums and pan coatings.” Oterra’s Jungle Blue has opened other
areas of opportunity, filling in the gaps where spirulina cannot perform. “Derived from jagua, or huito fruit, it provides a deep, stable blue and can be blended with natural yellows and reds to produce greens and purples. This is particularly significant in the United States, where vivid natural greens have traditionally been difficult to achieve without synthetics. Manufacturers can now explore a palette extending from neon lime to deep fir green,” explained Phil. These colours have a wide range of
applications across sugar confectionery – from jelly gums and extruded liquorice to hard-boiled candies and chews. They are typically added to the confectionery mass at around the same stage as flavourings, but separately. This provides a much wider palette that can still be incorporated into familiar development and production processes. Novel blues, purples and unexpected
greens are now enabling concepts that would have been difficult to produce naturally only a few years ago. Natural colours can add value to Limited Time Offers (LTOs) in the eyes of consumers. Recent Oterra research revealed that 58% of US consumers would be willing to pay 10% more for naturally coloured LTO confections. LTOs can therefore be a good
proving ground for new shades, flavour combinations and ingredient stories before wider rollout. In conclusion, Phil argued that the
next big thing is unlikely to be one miracle ingredient, instead it will be the convergence of novel botanical sources, higher-yield crops, sophisticated delivery systems and controlled cultivation.
Plant-derived protein sweetener When it comes to sugar reduction, confectionery producers continue to face difficult trade-offs between taste, cost, ingredient availability, and formulation complexity.
Nambawan Spain, a green-tech food
innovator pioneering the future of protein sweeteners
through plant molecular
farming, recently introduced Thaûma, a plant-derived thaumatin II sweetener and flavour modifier designed to overcome many of the challenges associated with sugar reduction. The non-caloric, non-glycemic, protein-
based sweetener and flavour modifier is
suitable for use in confectionery
applications and is supported by five FDA and FEMA GRAS approvals and JECFA safety certification. Thaûma is said to deliver sweetness intensity up to 13,600 times greater than
30 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • OCTOBER 2026
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