Putting the Function in Beverages

by Markus A. Eckert, Ph.D.

Water is no longer just water. It contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Orange juice is fortified with vitamin D. Coffee is purchased in cans, complete with ginseng and echinacea. We have moved from a culture that prepares three full meals a day to one that is looking to find the same nutritional intake from a convenient drink. Beverages now multi-task, serving functions beyond hydration.

The functional beverage market continues to see a boost in volume sales, with a 74-percent increase during the past five years. The call for value-added beverages containing vitamins, minerals, herbals, calcium, energy, protein, fiber and more continues to evolve as consumer needs change. The result has created challenges in terms of taste, mouthfeel and drinkability.

The definition of functional beverages is becoming less clear as more products emerge and consumers look for new ways to consume them. What was once only in demand as part of a disciplined training programhydration, sports recovery, energyis now also requested by average consumers looking to add a boost to what theyre drinking. The difference is the average consumer is not willing to compromise taste to receive additional benefits. An energy drink needs to provide the natural kick the consumer is paying for without tasting bitter. The challenge lies in accommodating both sets of needs: function and taste.

Major barriers to achieve a functional beverage product that will appeal to the masses exist in several key areas:

Herbal challenges - Bitter and astringent notes in the mouth caused by herbals are masked when flavorists modulate the taste perception by increasing the sweetness perception or through steric interaction, reducing the bitter perception.

Protein challenges - Harsher processing conditions such as retorting, high-temperature/short-time processing or ultra-high-temperature (UHT) processing often create off-notes such as burnt, caramelized, nutty, beany, cereal, sulfuric or bitter. Proteins are added using both dry and liquid protein sources and often require homogenization to emulsify the fats to increase beverage stability. The increased demand for an array of choices has created the need for an equally vast assortment of masking agents, modulating flavors and characterizing flavors to address the needs of the particular beverage segment.

Processing and pH challenges - Prior to flavor application, many parameters must be set when developing a base for a functional beverage. Determining the kind of processing the product will undergo to ensure the beverage meets its shelf-life requirements is one of the most important of these parameters.

Sweetener challenges - With the introduction of Reb-A stevia to the beverage market, developers are met with a natural product that behaves quite different than sugar. It takes longer for the sweetness to peak, has a dissimilar mouthfeel, and a distinct aftertaste perceived as being bitter and licorice-like. By masking the bitter flavor, technologists are able to use much less stevia than sugar to create the desired level of sweetness, creating an excellent lower-calorie alternative.

Technology advancements are helping address these challenges, allowing formulators to use their understanding of human perception of taste and smell. For example, Kerry developed a flavor modulation technology (fmt) that allows formulators to address undesirable flavor attributes of functional additives, masking or altering the attributes to ensure the end-use product has the benefits of the functional ingredients while maintaining a pleasant taste and mouthfeel.

As consumer lifestyles and demands continue to change, the most important hurdle for beverage technologists to overcome is the need to develop products that appeal to a more sophisticated palate. Whether it is adding caffeine for an energy boost or protein for sports recovery, functional beverages no longer solely appeal to a fragmented audiencethey must meet the demands of a mass market.

Markus A. Eckert, Ph.D., is the vice president of technology and innovation at Kerry Ingredients & Flavours , Teterboro, NJ. He has more than 20 years of significant international experience in the food and flavor industry, working with leading companies, including Danisco USA, Bush Boake Allen and Dragoco. He earned his Ph.D. in natural sciences at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, with a masters in food engineering and nutrition.