Innovative Fruit-Flavored Drink Solutions
Fruit-flavored drinks are evolving to meet consumer preferences for less sugar and more nutrition. Whether it is a diet staple or a treat, there are many fun ways to work with them!
Incorporating vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients can present new challenges and opportunities. The same is true for formulators who want to reduce sugar and/or fruit pulp without losing mouthfeel or taste. You can count on our technical experts, who work with drink manufacturers all over the world, to help you find an innovative solution for your beverage.
We offer a wide range of nature-based ingredients to meet multiple functionalities such as thickening, suspension, mouthfeel and stabilization. Contact our technical experts and find out which ingredient is best for solving your beverage challenges.
Our Featured Ingredients
NUTRAVA®
Citrus Fiber
GENU®
Pectin
KELCOGEL®
Gellan Gum
KELTROL®
Xanthan Gum
Ready to create the next generation of fruit-flavored drinks?
Exclusive Insights
Interest in reduced-sugar beverages is on the rise. Governments around the world have implemented a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Nutrition score programs are also affecting product placement and purchases. Heavily influenced by the longstanding health and wellness megatrend, “low-/no-sugar” and “real” ingredients are among the top positioning claims influencing consumer behavior.
While consumers want less sugar, they don’t want to sacrifice taste and texture. According to Innova Market Insights*, the top reasons why people consume fruit-flavored drinks are because “they taste great” and their “kids like them.” We know that consumers are sensitive to changes in beverage consistency, viscosity, flavor release and mouthfeel, so formulators must find innovative ways to preserve the texture consumers crave while reducing sugar.
How Pectin Can Help You Reduce Sugar in Your Formulation
GENU® Pectin is upcycled from citrus peels, an abundant byproduct of the juice industry. So, you could say it’s a natural for juice drinks. This easily recognizable, label-friendly ingredient adds viscosity and body to mimic a full-sugar mouthfeel while also enhancing the fruity flavors of your beverage. Process tolerant, it’s become a beverage formulator’s staple for
- Thickening acidic beverages.
- Improving flavor release.
- Providing long-lasting stability.
- Creating a wide range of mouthfeels.
*Innova Market Insights, April 2023
Thanks to the health and wellness trend, the juice category has experienced a spike in demand. After all, beverages are an easy way for busy consumers to add extra servings of fruits and vegetables to their diet, as well as immunity boosting vitamins. Parents also know it is easier to persuade a child to drink a fruity beverage than to eat a plate of brussels sprouts.
According to Innova Market Insights*, juices made with “real/natural” ingredients and less sugar are important to consumers around the globe, as are beverages that provide a source of vitamins, fiber, antioxidants and other “good for you” benefits.
Formulators’ Focus
Consumers and beverage manufacturers are both on a search for value. Consumers are watching their wallets and looking for clean label-friendly products with less sugar, but they do not want to compromise on great taste. Manufacturers are looking for creative solutions to meet the challenges of higher costs, chaotic supply shortages and sugar reduction that can sometimes lead to reformulation.
How NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber Can Help
Meet the first Upcycled Certified® citrus fiber ingredient** on the market, NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber. We upcycle citrus peels, an abundant byproduct of the juice industry near our plant in Brazil. From juice byproduct to a great juice drink solution, it is quickly becoming the formulators’ secret for:
- Supporting dietary fiber intake.
- Enhancing mouthfeel so you can reduce sugar.
- Reducing reliance on fruit pulp – adding opacity to provide a similar appearance.
- Supporting suspension so you can extend fruit pulp further as a cost saving measure.
- Supporting viscosity to get the body and mouthfeel of full fruit pulp formulation.
- Using a food ingredient for a cleaner label.
- Providing formulators with the ability to simplify labels – you can just state “citrus fiber.”
- Delivering a very competitive product that looks and tastes great.
- And more!
NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber helps meet market demands while also supporting your ingredient reduction and sustainability goals.
*Innova Category Survey 2023, Innova Health and Nutrition Survey 2023.
**Upcycled Certified® is a registered trademark of the Upcycled Food Association.
