Food Industry Prioritizes Mouthfeel to Drive Consumer Satisfaction

The global food and beverage industry is increasingly prioritizing mouthfeel, or oral sensation, as a primary driver of consumer satisfaction alongside flavor. This shift has led to the development of products with contrasting textures, including Starbucks' air-whipped Aerocano, the crookie pastry in Paris, and stretchy yogurt in China. Ferrara Candy Company launched Nerds Gummy Clusters to provide sensory engagement through textural contrast.

Industry experts attribute the surge in demand to the influence of social media, the popularity of multi-layered foods like the Cronut, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily impaired taste and smell for many consumers. Market research from Mintel indicates rising online demand for chewy and gooey qualities, though most new packaged foods in the U.S. still lack textural claims on their labeling.

Companies now face technical challenges maintaining these textures during meal delivery or when reducing sugar and costs. McDonald's recently revised its McCrispy chicken strip recipe after consumers complained about a lack of crispiness. To address delivery issues, Ingredion is developing potato starch-based coatings designed to keep french fries crispy for up to 45 minutes during transit.