HealthTech BioActives (HTBA) created a pea protein café latte prototype for IFT ‘23, featuring the company’s NF01 and NF02 natural taste modulation ingredients to help reduce astringency, improve and enhance mouthfeel, intensify sweetness, weaken bitterness, and strengthen the desirable coffee notes. This type of plant-based, high-protein café latte-flavored ready-to-drink beverage is designed to appeal to consumers looking for alternative protein beverages to fit their lifestyle without the aftertaste of alternative protein solutions.

Available in single-strength and concentrate, Global Organics’ fruit purees are an ideal way to meet the needs of consumers seeking healthy products made with organic ingredients. Banana, mango, pineapple, strawberry and blueberry purées are non-GMO, certified organic and third-party audited to ensure quality. Sourced from farms and orchards around the globe to provide year-round supply, the organic purées are pasteurized and aseptically packaged – preserving the natural flavors, colors and nutritional value without the need for any added preservatives. The company points out that organic fruit purees are flavorful ingredients that can be used in a variety of dairy and plant-based dairy beverages.

CreaBev is an encapsulated creatine monohydrate from Glanbia Nutritionals that was designed for improved stability, dispersion and solubility for acidic ready-to-drink and ready-to-mix beverages. Standard creatine monohydrates lack stability in water and the ability to withstand high heat, causing less creatine to stay intact. Containing 68-74% of creatine monohydrate, CreaBev’s patent-pending encapsulation technology facilitates enhanced stability. It also provides a stable source of creatine with 70% of creatine remaining after 12 months versus only 5% of creatine remaining after 3 months from other creatine sources. CreaBev does not fall out of solution, is stable at high processing temperatures and does not crystallize (clump) when exposed to Ultra Heat Treatment (UHT).

The Blackberry Ginger Lime Rooibos Tea flavor from FlavorSum combines berry and citrus tastes with botanical flavors to deliver a sophisticated drinking experience. This complex flavor pairing is gaining popularity with social discussions, up more than 21% (TasteWise). Blackberry Ginger Lime Rooibos Tea is ideal for non-alcoholic cocktail beverages, but can also work well in other beverage systems, like seltzers or ready-to-drink teas, the company notes.

Cargill’s Gerkens Sweety cocoa powder range enables up to a 15% to 30% sugar reduction in a simple way, without compromising on great chocolatey taste. Designed for chocolate-flavored beverages, Gerken’s Sweety cocoa powders are low in bitterness but still maintain a well-balanced chocolate flavor with a sweet perception. As a result, less sugar is needed in the final application, enabling sugar reduction without additional sweeteners or artificial ingredients. The Sweety range includes two distinct cocoa powders. Gerkens Revelry features stronger chocolate and cocoa notes, whereas Gerkens Bliss offers a milder chocolate flavor and heightened creaminess.

Whether sipped to hydrate, blended to power a morning workout, or brewed for an afternoon pick-me-up, beverages are a key component in everyday life. Balchem creates products that enhance the taste, mouthfeel and performance of popular beverages such as coffee, hot cocoas, teas, juices, smoothies, flavored milks, eggnogs and more. The company offers beverage products along with seasonal limited-time offerings (LTO). Its INjoy Flavor Systems juice bases provide high-quality, flavors and top notes that are easily customizable, the company says.

Whey permeate from Agropur offers a cost-effective way for beverage manufacturers to increase the nutritional benefits of their products. It is a natural source of electrolytes and sweetness that can reduce added sugar and cost in ready-to-drink and ready-to-mix beverages, according to the company. Additionally, the company’s application team developed a rehydrating drink concept using whey permeate as a source of electrolytes including potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Whey permeate also supplies lactose as an energy source without having to claim added sugars. Agropur offers two branded permeate products in spray-dried powder form for this application: Crino deproteinized whey and Crino premium deproteinized whey.

Dairy and non-dairy beverages, like drinkable yogurt, can be susceptible to mold growth due to a high sugar content. Spoilage caused by yeast and molds can significantly reduce the shelf life of dairy and non-dairy drinks. A&B Ingredients’ CytoGUARD YM can help dairy manufacturers maintain quality, freshness and taste while naturally extending the shelf life of beverages. This plant-based extract contains a range of naturally occurring organic acids, and can be used as an alternative to synthetic preservatives like potassium sorbate to meet consumer’s growing demand for clean-label products, the company says.

Udderly Oats by Van Drunen is made from organic, gluten-free oats that deliver a pleasant, slightly sweet oat flavor and smooth texture experience. This shelf-stable, heat-stable, and solution-dispersible ingredient undergoes a validated kill-step and is ideal for applications such as non-dairy milks and creamers, protein powders, bars and yogurts, the company says.

SIG and AnaBio Technologies jointly present the global launch of a long-life probiotic yogurt, which is a major breakthrough for probiotic beverages and aseptic packaging, the companies say. This development creates a new product category; probiotic beverages packed in aseptic carton packs and spouted pouches, which are shelf-stable for prolonged storage periods without refrigeration. Until now it has not been possible to incorporate probiotics into aseptic beverage packaging due to their inability to survive common heat treatments used in processing, the companies note. Probiotics can also be unstable during storage, typically restricting their use to refrigerated beverages with a short shelf life. The combination of AnaBio’s encapsulation technology and SIG’s gentle aseptic filling technology overcomes these restrictions, enabling food and beverage companies to produce probiotic beverages containing live probiotics that are packed in carton packs and spouted pouches and can be kept at room temperature for extended periods without refrigeration, the company states.

RDCL Superfoods (pronounced “radical”) is a plant-based, vitamin-packed line of beverages giving ordinary drinks new “superpowers.” With all plant-based ingredients and zero added sugar, the line is healthier, tastier, more ethical and sustainable. The powder can be mixed into hot or cold water or blended with milk or non-sweet almond milk and shaken with ice to make a refreshing smoothie. It uses two kinds of premium cacao for a rich, chocolatey taste, but it also contains ingredients like pea protein, ancient grains and seeds, and greens to make it healthy, the company says.

Prova offers a range of extracts and flavors tailored to fulfill customers’ taste and certification requirements. The company’s portfolio is anchored by fundamental flavors of vanilla, cocoa, coffee and caramel, complemented by a diverse array of indulgent notes. Notably, the vanilla collection features ethically sourced extracts supporting Madagascar. Through a personalized initiative, Prova monitors more than 50 key performance indicators spanning five core areas: agriculture, education, environment, health and lifestyle. The company invites others to support the Malagasy people, enhancing their company's sustainability efforts and use Prova’s Organic Sustainable Madagascar Vanilla Extract.

The textural, sensory experience of popping boba from Pecan Deluxe contributes to the enjoyment and pleasure of a beverage’s taste. Adding popping boba to a beverage enhances visual appeal and layers multiple flavors, the company says. It notes that it has expanded its portfolio lineup with such initial flavors as Strawberry, Vanilla, Pink Lemonade, Orange, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Caramel and Mango. Custom flavors or products also are available.

Nellson is meeting the demand of the growing flexitarian population by creating nutritious and delicious complete beverage powders that bridge the gap with best-of-both-worlds protein blends. The company’s latest report, “The Future is Flexitarian,” examines the growing demand for great-tasting, nutritionally rich beverage powders that combine the familiarity of dairy proteins with the sustainability, nutrition and novelty of plant ingredients. The report details the latest trends occurring within the plant-based high-protein segment.

iTi Tropicals supplies coconut cream in North America. Coconut cream is a popular non-dairy alternative to regular milk in many beverage applications, especially coffee. It has a creamy, indulgent texture and a slightly sweet, nutty flavor that complements the taste of coffee, the company points out. Coconut cream also is rich in healthy fats and can add a subtle tropical twist to one’s morning cup of joe.

IFPC's ITA (Ingredient Technology & Applications) team helps beverage manufacturers obtain nutritional label claims for their drinks using smart ingredient choices. The company’s experts know the regulations and ensure everything lines up with nutritional standards. By experimenting with specific ingredients, they create blends and strategic ingredient systems that not only make the product tastier, but understand the claims and regulations like “low sugar,” “high fiber,” or “heart healthy.” Since the team understands the challenging food and beverage landscape, it acts as a guide to ensure beverage manufacturers succeed in providing trending nutritional label claims that consumers can trust and love, the company says.

Icon Foods’ ThauSweet DRM (digestion resistant maltodextrin) delivers a clean, neutral sweet taste with added prebiotic benefits. The blend features RebM stevia, thaumatin (a sweetness modulator derived from the katemfe fruit), inulin (from Jerusalem artichoke) and soluble tapioca fiber (from the cassava root). RebM stevia is known for a lower astringency, fewer licorice notes and a less bitter aftertaste compared with other steviol glycosides, the company says. Thaumatin works to boost stevia to create a lingering sweet effect. Inulin and soluble tapioca fiber are prebiotic fibers that contribute to mouthfeel and promote a healthy microbiome. The result is a clean tasting, natural sweetening system that is ideal for replacing or reducing erythritol in a variety of dairy and non-dairy beverages, the company notes.