Flavour and fragrance manufacturer MANE has introduced Taste of the Tropics, a collection of natural fruit flavours inspired by Costa Rica, at SupplySide Global 2026 in Las Vegas.
Developed following visits by the company’s flavourists and consumer insights specialists, the range is designed to help food and beverage producers explore unfamiliar fruit notes and combinations. It is available for the US and Canadian markets in liquid and spray-dried formats.
Consumer research shapes collection
The portfolio covers 11 fruit profiles, including guava, lulo, mango, papaya, passionfruit, tamarind and tree tomato, alongside banana, coconut, pineapple and star apple. Several use ANTILLONE, a natural molecule developed through MANE’s biotechnology process to provide pineapple and tropical fruit notes.
MANE’s September 2026 consumer study found tropical fruits were perceived as the most premium of six fruit families tested. More than half of respondents placed tropical fruits among their top two categories, while more than twice as many selected them as their most premium choice compared with berry fruits.
Nearly half of consumers preferred pairing an unfamiliar fruit with a familiar one. The finding could help developers introduce less recognisable flavours without relying entirely on novel taste profiles.
Applications extend beyond beverages
MANE is targeting bakery, confectionery, dairy, snacks, sauces, dressings and functional drinks. Five prototype products at SupplySide Global illustrate how the collection could be used in different categories.
Examples include a papaya, guava and mango soda; passionfruit and papaya functional gummies; and pineapple and onion chutney with tamarind sauce. A banana-pineapple energy drink concept contains 150mg of caffeine from green tea, alongside L-theanine, magnesium and B vitamins.
Amy Bennett, MANE’s director of Sweet Flavor Creation for North America, said firsthand fruit tasting in Costa Rica helped the development team capture the characteristics of individual fruits.
For manufacturers, the choice of liquid and spray-dried formats provides flexibility across wet and dry formulations. MANE’s research also suggests that blending familiar and less familiar fruit profiles may help make new product concepts more accessible to consumers.
The range is being presented at stand 2745 during the Las Vegas event.
