Citrus flavors have long been popular among U.S. consumers, whether the flavors appear in an orange soda or Key Lime pie. Within the beverage industry in particular, citrus is the most-popular flavor category, according to Teresa Olah, marketing director of beverages in North America for Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sensient Flavors, a part of Sensient Technologies Corp.
Exemplifying this statement, respondents of Beverage Industry’s 2013 New Product Development Survey, which was published in the January 2014 issue, set high expectations for lemon flavors in new beverage launches during 2014, putting lemon in the Top 3 of the most-anticipated top-selling flavors for the year.