Food and drink developers are using texture to create new experiences with familiar ingredients. Some borrow a recognisable tactile quality from another category, while others restructure ingredients to produce a different bite or chew. The result is another route to product innovation alongside new flavours and formulations.
North American brewery Alpha Acid released Bobahead, a limited-edition beer containing 60 grams of popping boba pearls hand-loaded into each can. The pearls bring the characteristic pop of bubble tea into a carbonated beer. The product shows how a familiar format from one drinks category can give another a distinctive texture.
Swedish confectioner Cloetta launched Sprinkled Foamies in Sour Bubblegum and Strawberry flavours. Each sweet combines a soft marshmallow centre with a crunchy sprinkle coating, creating contrast within a single bite. The texture changes as it is eaten, giving the product a point of difference beyond flavour alone.
ETH Zurich developed a freeze-structuring process that uses water and freezing to turn whole peas, beans or lentils into a fibrous, meat-like product. The process keeps the legumes whole rather than separating them into protein isolates, while creating the chew associated with meat. This could offer a different route to plant-based products for consumers concerned about heavily processed meat alternatives.