Blue Pacific Flavors, the US-based flavour producer, has opened a new research and development facility which will focus on flavours for functional beverages, including sports, energy and wellness drinks.
The centre will also work on UHT/HTST and Retort high protein milk- or soy-based meal replacement beverages.
"Given the complex interaction of various functional ingredients, flavour development for these beverages requires significant flavour and colour engineering to maintain acceptable taste and appearance in RTD applications," Blue Pacific said in a statement.
The company's beverage flavourists and natural colour specialists work in conjunction with beverage application engineers to optimise the finished beverages with its customers, it said. Products are evaluated not only on taste, but efficacy as well - in other words, assessing whether the functionality of the ingredients in the drinks is as efficient once the product has been formulated.
Blue Pacific works with a range of GRAS-approved ingredients in the development of functional beverages. These include omega-3 antioxidant blend, lutein, grape seed extract, green tea polyphenols and a variety of soluble and insoluble fibres including heat stable inulin, Fibersol, brown rice fibre, bamboo fibre and Nutripec (a processed fruit and fibre carbohydrate from Kiwi fruit).