Strawberry Flavor

Strawberry turns up in more products than any other fruit flavor, and almost none of it comes from strawberries.

There are two strawberries

They share a name and taste quite different.

Ripe strawberry is the jammy, slightly cooked one, with a green edge. It tastes like actual fruit and works well in dairy and bakery.

Candy strawberry is sweeter, sharper, and has no real equivalent in nature. It is what most people picture when you say strawberry — the one in sweets, supplements and children's products.

If your brief just says "strawberry", you will get whichever the flavorist judges right. Say which one you want.

Why real strawberry extract disappoints

Strawberry is one of the weakest fruits to extract. The compounds that make it taste like strawberry are present in tiny amounts and most of them are lost in processing. A natural strawberry extract, used at a price you can actually afford, tastes thin and slightly vegetal in a drink.

That is why nearly every natural strawberry on the market is a natural WONF — real strawberry is in there and gives the character, with other natural ingredients supplying the punch. You can insist on strawberry-only, and it will cost several times more and still taste weaker.

Where it works and where it does not

Drinks. Fine in still and sparkling at normal acid levels. Below about pH 3.2 it gets shorter over shelf life and the fresh green notes disappear first, leaving something flatter and more candy-like.

Protein and supplements. Good with whey, poor with plant protein. The sharp fruit direction makes plant protein bitterness worse rather than covering it. See plant protein masking.

Dairy. Excellent. The fat carries it and the cultured tang in yogurt suits it. You will need more flavor than in a drink, because fat slows the release.

Candy. The candy version dominates. In hard candy the cook temperature destroys most of the delicate parts, so what is left is a narrower flavor.

Freeze-dried. The process concentrates the sugar and strips the aroma, so freeze-dried strawberry products usually need flavor added back to taste fresh.

What it goes with

Strawberry blends easily, which is part of why it is everywhere. Strawberry-banana and strawberry-vanilla are the two safest bets. Strawberry-rhubarb and strawberry-basil are the standard moves for something more premium. Strawberry with balsamic or black pepper works better in adult products than you would expect.