No longer considered an ethnic food in America, Italian cuisine is as American as apple pie and as mainstream as Asian and Mexican cuisine. A great number of Italian restaurants can be found in larger cities, and almost every small town in America has at least one pizzeria, a popularity that also extends to the grocery aisles.

The games change, but the rules of flavoring stay the same. In other words, every food matrix is unique, and every flavor type is unique.

Time is a rare commodity. Formulators and their clients know that producing a quality product is difficult and takes a great deal of time and, often, expense.

The likeability of a sauce is judged by its texture, color and taste, which all are

influenced by starches, gum stabilizers and oils.

The demand for high- protein bars and beverages will continue to increase over the next few years, despite a recent downward trend,” reports David Browne, director of content development at SPINS (San Francisco) a natural products reporting agency.

Cheese and dairy ingredients increasingly are customized for use in prepared foods. Suggestions are provided as to where food formulators can go for assistance.

In Asia, soy sauces are valued and cultivated much like the wines and cheeses in Europe. The ingredients and spices used to create them have purposes and functions that can augment cuisines on any side of the Pacific.

The dressing and mayonnaise category is an active one for product developers, with over 260 products introduced in 2003. The food science underlying their formulating and processing parameters remains fundamental.

Datamonitor (London) predicts the U.S. organic market will hit $30.7 billion by 2007, growing at an annual rate of 21.4% over that time, as more American consumers embrace the organic movement.