Glocal driving dairy flavor trends
Sesame ice cream

Get your game on: Brazilian flavors celebrate Summer Olympics

In less than a month, the Summer Olympics commence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To commemorate the global sports competition, food marketers have started offering limited-edition flavors of all types of products. For processors up to the challenge, here are some quick-turnaround flavor ideas for dairy products.

Many fruits indigenous to Brazil are available in puree form, including acai, carambola (star fruit), cupuacu, gravioloa, guarana, guava, jaboticaba, maracuja and papaya. All have application in ice cream, smoothies and yogurt.

Goiabada is a fruit preserve made by boiling guava juice and pulp with sugar until it reduces and hardens. It was first made in Brazil to preserve guava, as this topical fruit spoils soon after harvest. Goiabada may be used to variegate ice cream or yogurt, or it may be blended into a soft cheese spread. In Brazil, it is typically served for dessert with Minas cheese, a semi-soft cows milk cheese.

Heart-healthy Brazil nuts are loaded with protein, fats and essential nutrients. Often the last-standing in the bowl of mixed nuts because of their odd-shaped large size, Brazil nuts have a tender, rich and mild flavor that complements chocolate. In diced form, they may be used to add crunch to ice cream or as part of a mix-in with chocolate flakes in yogurt.

Brazilians produce more than a third of the world’s coffee. Single-origin Brazilian coffee may be used in ice cream, lattes, pudding and yogurt.

Brazilians are world-famous for churrascos (barbecues). The seasoning blend — black peppercorns, cumin, garlic, rosemary and sweet paprika — that goes into traditional marinades and rubs may be used to create a dairy dip or cheese spread.

Start planning for Winter Olympics 2018 in South Korea. Think kimchi cheese dip, persimmon yogurt and sesame ice cream.