Could pandan leaf be the big sugar alternative in 2018?

With the end of the year approaching, magazines and newspapers are filled with eye catching headlines suggesting new year’s resolutions and predicting trends for 2018, especially in the food category.

Among the multitude of rankings about the next big foods, pandan leaf is emerging as an ingredient predicted to quickly gain consumers’ favour. The reasons lie in the versatility of this unique Asian leaf.

Pandan leaf, or daun pandan as it is called in Indonesia and Malaysia, is a long, thin and green leaf with a characteristic vanilla-like flavor. Pandan leaf has long been used in Asian cuisine with the purpose of adding an aromatic twist to both salty and sweet dishes. It also confers a distinctive green colour, especially evident in baked goods like cakes.

The Western spotlight first turned to this leaf when Nigella Lawson recently suggested it as the next big superfood trend, replacing avocado. Sensationalistic predictions aside, the leaf definitely has all the factors to succeed, but it all depends on how it will be integrated into Western dishes. Indeed, unlike avocado, for example, which can be consumed by itself or as an accompaniment to other dishes, pandan leaf mainly takes the function of a condiment spice. Thus, its consumption is limited to powder form as an ingredient in other products to add colour or flavour.

However, pandan leaf’s appealing point is its sweet vanilla flavour. As the sugar battle still animates the food and drink industry, the inclusion of such plant with a sweet aftertaste could resonate as winning strategy for manufacturers. According to GlobalData’s Q4 2016 survey, 43% of global consumers are actively trying to reduce sugar consumption.

From this perspective, the inclusion of pandan leaf in food and drinks formulations capitalise on its sweet flavour and may resonate as successful strategy to propel the superfood into the mainstream.

Source: GlobalData’s Q4 2016 global consumer survey

Read more:

https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/cs1723ct–opportunities-in-food-swaps-responding-to-growing-demand-for-swapping-traditional-protein-carbs-dairy-fat-and-sugar-for-alternative-ingredients/