My last post covered labeling and regulatory issues around functional beverages. This post covers the development and production of these products—and the unique challenges therein.  

If a functional beverage is going to be effective in producing the desired health-related benefits, particularly if an authorized or qualified health label claim is made or nutrient content claim is declared, the product and the claim must be backed up by reliable research and validation. Development of a functional beverage can involve a complex interplay of substances that react very differently from traditional brewing ingredients, chemically and physically, singularly and in different combinations. In addition to research and validation, brewers must diligently adhere to effective manufacturing protocols. 

Solubility  

Functional beverages often contain ingredients that brewers may not be familiar with. Probiotics, prebiotics, botanicals, adaptogens, micro and macronutrients’ solubility can be affected by their polarity, temperature, pH, and oxygen levels. Different ingredients may react differently in different combinations.  The solubility of a functional ingredient, or ingredients, needs to be understood and controlled to meet dosing requirements and be effective in delivering the desired health benefit or to meet a specific nutrient content claim. 

Stability 

The concept of freshness takes on added importance in functional beverages, as functional ingredients must remain stable and at levels that will provide the desired health benefit to the consumer. As with solubility, temperature, pH, and oxygen levels can affect stability of the ingredients. Other issues can degrade the effectiveness of functional ingredients including hydrolysis, photolysis, flocculation, and stratification. Microbiological stability is also a major consideration. Finally, as aluminum cans are often the package of choice, evaluation and validation of the can liner material is critical to avoid scalping and corrosion issues. 

Sensory Outcomes  

Solubility and stability are important aspects of functional beverage development and production. Mastery of these elements is meaningless if the functional beverage does not have taste, color, and texture that appeal to consumers. Individual functional ingredients can have singular sensory outcomes that can be favorable or not at different concentrations. Different combinations of ingredients can have unintended interactions. Electrolytes are a good example. On their own, electrolytes can change both the flavor and texture of a beverage. Consider the addition of sodium chloride to a Gose. A small amount of salt can produce the benefits of both sodium and chloride while increasing the beverage’s texture and accenting certain flavors. Too much and it becomes undrinkable. Similarly, a small amount of calcium sulfate can accentuate the flavor and bitterness of hops, creating a crisp, flavorful beverage. Too much calcium sulfate can lead to harsh, chalky, minerally, and aggressively dry bitterness. 

The sensory outcomes mentioned above are familiar to brewers. Many functional beverages can be a complex mix of base ingredients, functional ingredients, natural or artificial flavors, solvents to facilitate solubility, emulsifiers, and possibly preservatives. Mastering the sensory outcomes of the individual components and the intricate interplay of these same ingredients to produce a beverage that is acceptable to consumers takes research, experience, and skill. 

Is Simple Better? 

Given the complexity surrounding many functional beverages, a simpler approach may be an easier route to enter this growing segment of the market. Making a structural claim about a singular ingredient or not making a label claim and letting the ingredient’s presence infer the health benefit to the consumer, can be a path to market. This path has its challenges as well. 

An important factor in driving consumer interest in functional beverages is how these beverages act as a bridge between supplements and food by transforming ingredients traditionally found in pills, powders, capsules, and everyday meals into accessible ready-to-drink formats. Another way to say this is that consumers depend on nutrient content claims and health benefit claims, structural or inferred, to be accurate and deliver the desired nutrition or therapeutic benefit as well as desirable sensory outcomes. 

Product Integrity 

It has been widely reported that consumers are losing faith in vitamin supplements. A 2012 investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) examined the scientific backing behind structure/function claims on dietary supplement labels. It was found that a majority of the reviewed products lacked clinical research that backed the products’ claims. “Borrowing” research from others was also cited as a common practice. This, and lack of quality testing, inaccurate dosing, and exaggerated marketing claims have led to a growing mistrust of vitamin supplements. Despite efforts to tighten enforcement, these problems have persisted. 

Functional beverages have an advantage over vitamin supplements as they can double as daily sustenance or refreshment. However, functional beverages carry the same risk of losing consumer confidence if the products do not deliver the stated or inferred nutritional value or health benefit. Credible scientific backing, quality testing and documentation, adequate dosing, and honest marketing claims are essential for functional beverages to maintain product integrity and consumer confidence. 

Additional reading: Health Claims and Functional Beverages: Know the Rules