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In Europe, sauces, dressings, dips and spreads have evolved from simple meal accompaniments into essential components of everyday cooking and culinary identity. These products play a central role in enhancing flavour, texture, and convenience; qualities that resonate strongly with modern consumers across the continent. Whether used in home kitchens or professional food service environments, sauces are now seen as key to elevating the dining experience. With 42% of European consumers relying on ready-made sauces at home, the category continues to grow as a staple of modern eating habits.1
As these products become more embedded in daily cooking routines, consumer expectations are evolving. European consumers increasingly view these items as tools for culinary creativity, while also seeking options aligned with their health-conscious eating expectations.
Whether it's a Mediterranean aioli, a plant-based pesto, or a fortified protein dip, the category is expanding to meet diverse preferences.
Recent trends show a strong demand for natural ingredients, ethnic flavour profiles, and functional benefits, such as reduced sugar, salt, or fat content.2
Clean label trends are reshaping the European market, with one in two consumers now preferring products with a natural or clean label approach, seeking transparency, authenticity, and healthier choices. The top clean label demands include no additives, minimal processing, and clear, understandable labelling. Over 35% of new food and beverage launches in Europe carry a clean label claim, with ethical and environmental claims showing the fastest growth.3
However, the shift toward clean label and natural formulations presents new preservation challenges for manufacturers. In the sauces market, issues such as fat oxidation, which can lead to off-flavours, is a concern.
In sauces based on fruits and vegetables, enzymatic browning is also a frequent challenge, causing undesirable colour changes (for example, in products like eggplant spread, guacamole, tomato sauce, pesto, and fruit-based purées).4
Enzymatic browning is a chemical process that occurs when certain foods are exposed to oxygen. Fruits and vegetables naturally contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenolic compounds. When these foods are cut or damaged, oxygen activates the PPO enzyme. PPO acts as a catalyst in the oxidation of phenolic compounds, which accelerates the appearance of browning and makes products less attractive. This same effect occurs in sauces, highlighting the importance of using solutions that slow down this process.
As consumers actively limit artificial ingredients and prioritize simple, recognizable components, it becomes essential to preserve foods using ingredients that consumers trust and understand.
The natural ingredients in OLESSENCE™ G Liquid work together, delaying the enzymatic browning and the overall oxidation process, while providing colour protection, sensory quality, and shelf life of food products.
This approach offers manufacturers a clean label solution that supports consumer demand for transparency and recognizable ingredients, while ensuring improved product stability and appeal.
OLESSENCE G Liquid stands out by addressing technical challenges, and its classification as a natural flavouring allows manufacturers to meet regulatory requirements and deliver trustworthy, appealing products that meet customer demands compatible with the sauce market.
References:
1 - Innova Database, Innova Category Survey 2025 (Average of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK) https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/insights-into-european-consumer-trends-sauces-and-dressings/
2 - Innova Market Insights, Innova Consumer Trends 2025
3 - Innova Database - Claims and positionings are not mutually exclusive, and products can carry more than one of these claims https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/clean-label-trends-in-europe/
4 - Enzymatic browning: The role of substrates in polyphenol oxidase mediated browning
5 - Bucciantini M, Leri M, Nardiello P, Casamenti F, Stefani M. (2021). Olive Polyphenols: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties. Antioxidants;10(7):1044. doi: 10.3390/antiox10071044.
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