1. Bone Broth in Functional and Fortified Foods
Consumers are increasingly looking for functional foods—those that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Bone broth is a functional food that’s rich in nutrients and can support gut, joint, and general health – it’s a good source of protein, collagen, electrolytes, and amino acids. Alongside its’ rich umami flavour, this makes it an ideal ingredient option for fortified products.
Gut health is one of the biggest trends in food and beverage currently – With this focus across mainstream consumers, beef bone broth is already found as an ingredient in functional snacks like fortified granola bars, protein balls, and soups. We can expect to see bone broth integrated as an ingredient into more products focused on digestive health, including breakfast foods.
2. Bone Broth in Sports Performance and Recovery Nutrition
Athletes are often looking for effective ways to optimise their performance and recovery. Already bone broth is used as a versatile fuel and recovery aid in sports. It is packed with nutrients that increase recovery, helping muscles repair and reducing soreness after intense exercise – it provides electrolytes for hydration, amino acids and protein for muscle repair, and collagen to support joint health. Rather than being a quick fix, it’s nourishing from the inside out, helping the body rejuvenate after being pushed to physical limits.
As recovery-focused sports drinks and supplements become more personalised, beef bone broth can be infused into ready-to-drink beverages, or formulated into convenient powders, becoming an ingredient in recovery drinks. We can expect to see more bone broth-based products marketed toward athletes alongside protein shakes or functional snacks.
3. Bone Broth in Dessert Innovations
While bone broth has traditionally been a savoury ingredient, the trend of intersecting sweet and savoury is increasing – consider salted caramel, balsamic vinegar ice cream and smokey maple syrup. Based on health-focused trends, this could present opportunity for bone broth to enter dessert innovations.
We expect to see bone broth paired with other indulgent flavours creating high-end desserts or health-focused sweets like collagen brownies, broth-infused caramel sauces and other broth-enhanced traditional chocolate products – all appealing to consumers looking for desserts offering novelty, health and indulgence.
4. Bone Broth as a Convenience Ingredient
Convenience is key in modern food culture. Busy consumers are looking for easy ways to incorporate nutrition into their daily diet, often through ready-to-heat or ready-to-drink options. People want ready meals that are full of flavour, suit their dietary needs and provide a good alternative to freshly prepared food. Figures from Innova Market Insights show that three in five consumers, globally, are using convenience foods once a week or more – this growth is largely driven by younger demograhics.
Addressing consumer concerns over ultra-processed foods and clean label is essential for this demographic. Bone broth offers a clean label option as an umami flavour enhancer and source of protein for use in a range of convenience food formulations – both meal and drink. As a health-boosting ingredient, we expect to see an increase in use for food products supporting specific health concerns, and bone broth-based meal kits targeting younger consumers – healthy and easy to prepare.
5. Bone Broth – Supporting Sustainability and Zero-waste Movement
As consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of food production, products that support the zero-waste movement become increasingly popular. The resurgence of bone broth supports the global movement for consumers to reduce food waste. It’s part of the nose-to-tail approach, where all edible parts of an animal are used to create value-added products in an effort to minimise waste, eat thoughtfully, and ensure that the animal is appreciated. Bone broth provides a versatile and sustainable ingredient.
With sustainability being a growing consumer priority, we expect bone broth to gain traction as a conscious food choice. Beef bone broth can be marketed as a sustainable, environmentally friendly product or ingredient, appealing to eco-conscious consumers who seek to minimise their impact on the environment.
At Taranaki Bio Extracts, our beef bone broth is made from responsibly sourced beef bones from export quality meat processors – we represent a key link in the value-added food chain. To learn more about how our products could support your brand visit https://taranakibioextracts.com/our-story/
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