Vitamin B from LycoRed added to fizzy drinks

The Israeli based company will see its ingredient added to three different flavored drinks in the Lightly Sparkling Schweppes line by Yafora, launched in the company's home town.

LycoRed said the fortification will not alter the drinks taste or smell, and said to see the complex added to a drink of this nature presented a "challenge."

The firm said the B complex includes B5, B6, B12 and folic acid.

A spokesperson added that this is the first time in Israel that a carbonated drink will be fortified with the complex.

Vice president of global marketing and sales Udi Alroy said: "It was important to Yafora that we add functional ingredients to boost health benefits while at the same time maintain the beverage's refreshing taste and clarity.

"LycoRed has successfully fortified juices, milk and other beverages, but it was much more challenging for us to add nutrients to carbonated beverages which have a different solubility.

We were gratified that we could successfully meet this challenge as well."

Yafora said it will target consumers with beverages which not only had an exciting look, but had a health appeal as well.

It has invested $2.5m in the Schweppes line, which has gone to product design as well as development.

LycoRed was not available for further comment on the vitamin B complex used prior to publication.

Last December LycoRed overcame a number of technical hurdles to enable Israeli's Neviot to enter the near-water category.

Neviot claims to be a leader in Israel's mineral water market and launched Neviot+, described as a flavoured 'near water' that is fortified with a vitamin B complex.

The firm used the Vitafoods conference in Geneva to launch its line of vitamin B12 formulations, aiming it at the European market.

Vitamin B12, found in meat, dairy products and eggs, is essential for life, working with folate in the production of red blood cells, as well as helping the body in the use of fatty acids and certain amino acids.

This launch followed LycoRed's move to become a leading formulator of vitamin B12 in the US after the acquisition of H. Reisman Corporation.

Yafora is said to the second largest soft drink company in Israel, and markets a wide range of soft drink brands including RC Cola and Tapuzina.

Sports nutrition ingredients in Europe have been growing at a rate of 8.4 per cent between 2002 and 2009, according to figures from market research analysts Frost & Sullivan, driven by more mainstream consumption of sports products.

Indeed, other analysts concur that the sports nutrition market has seen phenomenal growth in the last five years in some countries.

Mintel valued the UK 2006 market at £207 m (€301.9 m) - growth of 122.6 per cent since 2001.