Manufacturers looking for a versatile ingredient with exceptional consumer awareness have found the next big thing.
Known for its unique, tangy flavor, Tamarind has been a staple of cultural dishes in Africa, Asia and South America for centuries. The number of retail tamarind products has increased over the past several years, reaching new audiences as a powder, paste, or concentrate ingredient.
Not only has tamarind found its way into a plethora of consumer goods, but its notoriety makes it a front-of-the-box marketing opportunity across verticals.
What Is Tamarind?
A tamarind tree produces hard, shell-like pods. When fully ripe and ready to harvest, tamarind pods are technically fruit and have a brown-to-red pulp. Unripe pods are green and unpalatably sour.
Originally native to Africa, tamarind is a fixture in pad thai, curries, chutneys, and countless marinades and sauces.
What Flavor Is Tamarind?
Tamarind is sweet and sour, making it exceptionally valuable in many food and beverage formulations. Manufacturers use tamarind in a variety of foods to balance out other ingredients. Its impact varies depending on how ripe the ingredient is and how it’s prepared.
Tamarind is commercially available in three primary forms: paste, paste concentrate, and powder.
Tamarind Paste
Also known as tamarind concentrate, tamarind paste has become a popular ingredient in prepared foods and as a standalone option for consumers. Tamarind paste is made out of unripe pods, so it’s thick, soft and intensely tangy. Manufacturers use it to craft an array of retail products, including marinades and store-bought curries. Retail pastes are less concentrated and formulated for consumer use in at-home cooking.
Tamarind paste also adds texture and flavor to CPG products and acts as a preservative to lengthen shelf life.
Tamarind Powder
Tamarind powder is used in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products. While its primary value is its unique flavor profile, tamarind is also an effective emulsifier with excellent gelling and adhesion properties. In emulsifier applications, you’ll find tamarind in everything from ice cream to baked goods and a range of dry seasonings.
Because of its binding characteristics, pharmaceutical manufacturers often use tamarind powder as a suspension solution for ophthalmic medications and controlled-released liquid medicines. It’s also used in pill and tablet production.
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Trending Foods Made with Tamarind
McCormick named tamarind its Spice of the Year for 2024, accelerating the ingredients’ rise to prominence. Social media mentions of tamarind have increased 24.47% since 2023, and it’s made its way into stores and restaurants in new ways, including:
- Margarita mixes
- Tequilas
- Prepared soups, marinades and sauces
- Pre-cooked meats
The ingredient remains a fixture in pad thai and countless other dishes, especially those catering to vegan and vegetarian diets.
Market demand for tamarind is forecast to grow at 6.9% CAGR through 2032, driven primarily by its relatively low cost, global availability and its nature as a natural or organic substitute for artificial preservatives and flavors.
Our Take on Tamarind
The emergence of tamarind-based ingredients mirrors the success of other natural, plant-based ingredients in today’s health-focused marketplace.
As consumers lean toward organic and bio-based products, ingredients like tamarind will be increasingly important in new and diverse applications, including life science and pharmaceuticals.
Specific ingredient categories, such as hydrocolloids, have solved similar challenges for forward-thinking manufacturers in recent years and continue to find new ways to add value and quality to new and existing product lines.
Food Trends Are Opportunities
In a consumer-driven marketplace, popularity matters. Trending ingredients offer useful insight into changing consumer preferences, allowing manufacturers and distributors to anticipate demand and explore cost-effective sourcing.
At Tilley Distribution, we’re invested in supporting our supplier and manufacturing partners in any way possible, from global sourcing to technical expertise and formulation support.
See what true partnership looks like: Contact a Tilley representative today to learn more.
