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Functional beverage sales threatening soda existence
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Sunday, 16 February, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nidhi Shukla
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fiogf49gjkf0d Functional beverages are drinks that may include energy drinks and vitamin waters. They play an important role in our everyday lives. They do more than quenching thirst. Bioactive ingredients should balance nutritional deficits, support physical and mental health, and may improve beauty from within. They have been enhanced with added ingredients to provide specific health benefits beyond general nutrition.
Overall well-being
Functional drinks are promoted with benefits such as heart health, improved immunity and digestion, joint health, satiety, and energy-boosting. They help keep us hydrated, prevent and help address health conditions, aid in our athletic performance or simply contribute to our overall nutritional well-being.
Tailored choices
The beverage industry has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. The choices for beverages have become so specific that they appear to be almost tailored for an individual. Consumers have their choice of beverages that aid in boosting energy, shrinking waistlines, sharpening mental focus, preventing pain associated with bone and joint conditions, and more. Moreover, there are beverages specific for each age demographic and gender, with a growing focus on products targeting kids, women and geriatrics.
Functional beverages are increasing in sales, threatening the existing popular beverage: Soda. Various aspects
Natural substances are generally preferred over chemical ones and are considered healthy. The increasing demand for natural ingredients also attracts beverages as the fastest growing segment on the functional food market. Functional beverages are classified as fortified water, tea, dairy or juices claiming various aspects as nutrition, energy, anti-ageing or relaxing effects. The substitution of superfruits such as berries, grapes, or pomegranate delivers an effective range of beneficial compounds, including vitamins, fatty acids, minerals, and antioxidants. Teas and green botanicals, such as algae or aloe vera are also rich in bioactives and have been used traditionally. The botanical kingdom offers endless possibilities.
New functional beverages like fortified water, tea and / or dairy products have increased their convenience, novelty, fun and image, but maintain their status as healthy drinks. Sodas have been implicated in worsening the epidemic of weight gain and obesity. They also have a role in decaying teeth, stomach problems, caffeine toxicity and addiction to mention a few. They are being marketed as the ‘healthy alternative’ to sodas.
Functional beverages (sports and performance drinks, energy drinks, ready-to-drink teas and flavoured waters) have acquired a claim to being healthy recently. They meet the consumers' demand for good taste and ingredients that are good for physical fitness and mental well-being. Consumers riding the exercise and healthy diet trend demand a noticeable health benefit from functional beverages.
People are always on-the-go, thirsty and running out of time with respect to their health. No one has time to eat and drink in a nutritionally sound way but doing things the easy and fast way. So, the makers of functional beverages came up with an idea to develop a drink that is sweet and tasty, by adding some vitamins and other nutritional supplements to it. Drink it fast, love the taste, get the nutritional vitamins and minerals. There are numerous advantages to using botanical extracts in beverage. It allows a wide range of active components and raw materials to be used for bringing a new product to the market.
There is still room for new uses of known raw materials, either by creating new applications or taste profiles or by scientific elucidation of previously unknown functions. The natural colours and origin of botanical extracts match up to consumers' desire for more nature in their drinks, promoting health. There is an increased preference for plant ingredients over animal-derived ingredients, but they should not only be natural, but also organic. Here are few of the ingredients whose bioactives are used on a large scale in preparation of functional beverages based on their benefits.
Fruits
Fruits are the only natural ingredients that first come to mind when we say functional beverages. A popular fruit, the strawberry contains a range of active substances (including anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and other phytonutrients) that help to decrease the effect of toxins and limit oxidative damage to DNA, which is key to antioxidant protection against a number of forms of neurodegeneration and cancer. Antioxidants derived from strawberries also play a role in helping to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Anthocyanins are also abundant in grapes, as are proanthocyanidins, quercetin,and resveratrol. These are the key noted benefits for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, including decreased lipid oxidation, cholesterol aggregation, reduced blood pressure, and improved vascular endothelial function, as well as reduced cell adhesion, a factor in inflammation.
Other berries have shown impressive benefits on the basis of research results. Blackberries were shown to impede tumour formation in the oral cavity, while anthocyanins and other phenolics present in boysenberries and black currants were found to protect cellular DNA against oxidative damage. Black currants combined with bilberries, lignonberries, and raspberries may protect against lipid oxidation and increase antioxidant capacity in plasma. Raspberries work well with other berries. Combined with blueberries, they inhibit mutations in breast and cervical cancer cells. Joined with cloudberries, they counteract both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.
Green foods
Green foods provide nutrients like vitamins, proteins, minerals, and antioxidants. The challenge is in masking the taste generally associated with green foods. They either taste like seaweed, or like something that the consumer does not expect in a beverage. One way to meet this challenge is to extract the nutrients at low temperatures, which lowers the risk of extracting undesirable taste factors along with the nutrients.
The cereal grasses including alfalfa, barley, wheat, rye, and oat, are also beneficial. These plants contain concentrations of phytonutrients, vitamins, and amino acids. Juice made of wheat grass has been effective in reducing disease activity of ulcerative colitis and some forms of genetic blood diseases involving anaemia. More research is needed to uncover additional unknown benefits in other species of cereal grasses.
Another main type of green food is microalgae, including spirulina, chlorella, and haematococcus. These are the most primitive plants that grow in aqueous solution. Due to their simple cellular structure and access to water and important aquatic compounds, they convert sunlight to sugars more efficiently than the higher plants. They are also easily digestible, as they lack a cell wall. Research has shown these microalgae to possess various properties of disease protection.
Aloe vera is another example of a well-known cosmetic ingredient increasingly used in beverage applications. The plant is been used since 4000 years. It contains more than 200 active substances. Among its many effects, the broad range includes usage in beverage application, among them immunostimulation, digestive aid, anti-diabetic activity / blood sugar balance, kidney stone prevention, oral / gum health, anti-inflammatory for joint comfort, cholesterol / triglyceride reduction, and antioxidant protection and detoxification. Hence, aloe is incorporated into a craze of functional beverages, in relation to the health and beauty that is increasingly moving into the consumers' awareness.
A popular but not new botanical ingredient, lemon verbena, deserves mention. It has certain therapeutic properties and has been used for a variety of ailments, including relief of digestive tract spasms, reduction of fever, strengthening of the nervous system, stress relief and as an anti-spasmodic and expectorant. Lemon verbena leaves can be steeped in hot water to create an aromatic and mildly sedative herbal tea, and its extracts are used in a variety of functional bottled waters.
Sports drinks
Sports drinks are made of water, mineral salts (mainly sodium and potassium) and calorie-containing sweeteners (usually sugar or high fructose corn syrup). They have approximately 50-75 calories, 80-110 mg of sodium, and 30-45 mg of potassium per 8 oz. serving. They generally do not contain vitamins or protein. Gatorade and PowerAde are two common sports drinks, although other brands, including generic and store brands, may be available. The carbohydrate content is usually 6-8% (14-18 gram carbohydrate per 8 oz.) an amount that studies have shown is well tolerated in the heat and improves endurance when physical activity is for an hour or more. A recent study showed that consuming 1.3 litre of water alone improved performance during one hour of cycling, but when 79 gram of carbohydrate were added, performance improved even more.
Probiotics and dairy- based beverages
Apart from fruits and plants related beverages there is a huge section of beverages, which are made from milk and milk products. The probiotic organisms, which are relatively termed as “for life” are present in them in adequate amounts. Some of the commonly found strains are lactobacillus, and bifidobacterium. Their benefits on the intestines and other parts of the body are explained in a diagrammatic manner.
Teas and tea alternatives
No overview on botanicals used in beverages would be complete without mentioning the many tea varieties. The recently found benefits of many teas have made them an attractive additive to functional waters and increased sales of the beverage. Tea contains three types of polyphenol flavonoids: catechins, theaflavin, and quercetin. The potency of the polyphenols is determined by the way tea is being extracted. Like, white and green teas typically receive the least processing; therefore,
their naturally occurring catechins are preserved with greatest efficacy. Other varieties of teas (e.g., black, oolong) are fermented, resulting in the production of more complex theaflavins. Tea extracts formulated for high polyphenol content can contain the greatest amounts of beneficial substances, because they are highly concentrated formulations.
Black tea consists of the withered, fully fermented leaves of Camellia sinensis. The purpose of oxidation is to achieve a richer flavour. Black tea is used mostly as a beverage. A meta-analysis of demographic studies concluded that consumption of black tea beverages might ensure positive health effects because of high levels of flavonoids in black tea that can protect cells and tissues from oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals.
Green tea (C.sinensis), with its high content of xanthines, has anti-inflammatory, anti-irritation and cellulite- reducing properties, while the polyphenols contained therein have powerful antioxidant effects that are 20 times stronger than vitamin E. Its extract has a healthier effect than black tea, makes it more attractive to some consumers. Recent studies show that green tea increases the metabolic resting rate, making it a popular ingredient in weight-loss supplements.
White tea, a rare variety of C. sinensis from China, is the least processed form of tea. It is not oxidised or withered, dried by steaming making it rich in polyphenol as compared to other types of tea. Research has shown white tea has potent anti-cancer qualities. Various types of tea offer ready-to-drink options, which are appreciated by many tea drinkers because that save them time.
Shots
Beverage shots, which are in a small, portable, single-serve, contain a mix of nutrients that perform a specific function. The shot originated as a delivery system for a fast-acting boost of energy with less sugar and calories. Energy shots typically include functional ingredients providing an initial boost of energy with a lasting effect, which are caffeine, taurine, D-ribose and B vitamins. The energy shot market has dramatically increased over the past couple of years. As consumer acceptance increased, new targeted shots entered the market, such as products meant to promote a healthy gut for example, yakult - boosting immunity, enhancing mood; and shots that deliver a mix of nutrients that encourage relaxation. Shots have seen a shift in the sweetener used in the past year, where most single-serve shots now claim no sugar and low calories. Shots provide a convenient way to deliver a nutritional benefit. In Japan, shots have become a staple for taking specific nutrients, as well as a vehicle for consumers to try out new functional ingredients. Shot products are positioned as a quick grab-and-go product.
The functional beverage market has steadily increased over the past decade, with a sharper rise in the last couple of years. According to Datamonitor, the global non-alcoholic beverage market is valued at just under $500 billion worldwide, with Europe accounting for the largest portion at $189 billion. China has become the fastest growing country at an overall growth rate of 77% over the past decade.
Mergers and acquisitions
Fortified beverages are just a fraction of the total non-alcoholic beverage market, valued at an estimated $60 billion, according to Euromonitor. The industry is responding with mergers and acquisitions. Now discovery and extraction will provide the basis for these new product lines, and the science to support traditional used claims. Because equivalent high tech research platforms are available, research opportunities are providing new functional ingredients for beverages.
Range of choices
Consumers are just learning the range of choices, so there is no limit to new product lines with new ingredients or combining established ones to achieve new tastes. There are and will be plenty types of functional beverages available in the market. It is for the common man to grab the most appropriate one and get benefits!
(The writer is junior research fellow, Kasturba Health Society Medical Reseach Centre, Mumbai. She can be contacted at nidhishukla67@yahoo.in)
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