Key Considerations in Formulation

According to Beverage Digest, bottled water outsold milk for the first time in history last year, and as consumers change their drinking habits, functional beverages are becoming more mainstream than milk. What does this mean to the natural products industry? It confirms there is a thirst for functional beverages. If you need more evidence of this, consider the recent acquisition of Glacéau vitaminwater by Coca Cola for $4.1 billion.

If you could use any adjective to describe the state of functional beverages, it would be healthy. Developing a new product in this format requires working with an experienced liquid manufacturer and having a clear, concise product definition. For instance, is it a juice with fiber, water with vitamins, or a concentrated liquid dietary supplement? Many companies decide to offer a liquid version of a popular product already on the market. This is a sound marketing idea, but may require some formula modifications due to the liquid format.

For instance, some popular ingredients are not water soluble, and testing is required to see how ingredients such as flavor and gum systems, fruit concentrates, fibers and proteins affect viscosity, pH, stability and suspension. In addition, pasteurization of functional beverages affects color, shelf life and stability. Formulators should be able to solubize fat and alcohol extracts into beverages that will remain shelf stable.

In addition, packaging is one of most important decisions and must be made early on, as it will drive the formulation process, and may also reflect corporate culture on sustainability and recycling policies. Packaging choices include plastic, glass and aseptic containers; closures to choose from include plastic, tamper-evident and lug neck. Depending on the budget, customized bottles are an option to communicate a product brand, not just a me-too stock bottle. Container choice also triggers selection of the preservative system. If the target customer wants a product without preservatives, it’s necessary to ensure packaging and formulations can handle this requirement.

When selecting a partner for developing liquid formulations, it is important to tour the facility; ask about previous product-related experience, and taste potential or past prototypes to ascertain quality and formulation expertise. 

Cheryl Cahill is the president of Precision Formulations, a contract liquid manufacturer located in Dallas. Cahill has been in the nutritional products industry since 1989, formulating and marketing dietary supplements in liquid and solid forms; she worked previously with Natrol and with Agrolabs. Contact Cahill at [email protected].