CHICAGO — Enhancing energy and reducing fatigue are the most sought benefits from foods and beverages, according to the 2022 Food and Health Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC), Washington. More than a third of Americans said they are seeking the benefits. Many are looking for “natural” forms of energy, with the most popular source being caffeine.

Thanks to advancements by ingredient suppliers, natural caffeine ingredients sourced from coffee beans and tea leaves are available to formulators for use in beverages and foods. They may be used with coffee and tea bases, or in an unrelated format, everything from baked foods to frozen desserts. However, beverage is the preferred delivery vehicle.

“Today’s consumers are demanding healthy beverages with natural ingredients,” said Jenna Callahan, category manager, Florida Food Products, Lake Mary, Fla. “Over the years, energy drinks that increase mental alertness and physical performance have been the most popular functional beverages. Now, consumers are looking for natural sources of caffeine or caffeine alternatives to meet their desires for health and wellness, and energy drink brands are turning to cleaner beverage formulations to fulfill these demands.”

The evolving caffeine consumer

More than 9 in 10 Americans report consuming caffeine, according to IFIC’s 2022 study “Caffeine: Consumer consumption habits and safety perceptions.” Three in four caffeine consumers have it at least once a day; a quarter say they consume it three times a day or more. Soft drinks (54% of those surveyed), coffee (52%) and tea (42%) beverages are the most popular sources of caffeine.

Liking the taste — 55% selected the option — was the most popular reason for consumption, followed by “to feel awake/alert” (45%) and being “part of my routine” (45%). Motivations behind consuming caffeine differed by age, with those over age 65 being more likely to say they did so because they liked the taste and it was part of their routine. Those under 45 were more likely to say they consumed caffeinated products to improve their mood, to help them focus, to relieve stress, and for social or special occasions.

Some of the youngest consumers — known as Gen Z — seek convenient caffeine in the form of on-the-go bottled or canned beverages. Gen Z is 21% more likely than the general population to try a new beverage in the course of a month, according to research from Morning Consult, Washington.

Ingredient options

To simplify the manufacturing process of ready-to-drink caffeinated beverages, formulators rely on the growing toolbox of coffee, tea and caffeine ingredients. With both coffee and tea, instantized powders are the most economical option. The formulator simply rehydrates the powder with water. The base beverage is ready for further processing and packaging. Flavored syrups or simple flavor extracts also are an option. With any of these formats, other ingredients may be included, such as flavors, spices, cocoa or powdered milk. Sometimes the sweetener may be part of the system. 

When a premium, fresh-brewed taste is the goal, extracts are used. These are liquid concentrated versions of brewed coffee or tea that are mixed into water. The extracts have been minimally heat processed to preserve flavors and volatiles. Concentration level may be adjusted for taste, color, cup cost and ease of use.

Most innovation is taking place with extracts. In order to produce a premium ready-to-drink tea beverage, a formulator starts with brewed tea for authentic taste and appearance in the final formulation. Many manufacturers are unable to brew tea leaves on site. Ingredient suppliers provide concentrated forms of brewed tea for dilution in the manufacturing plant. Such brewed tea is optimized for ease of use and stability. It may be used with hot or cold-fill processes and packaged into any type of container.  

The flexible nature of brewed tea allows for the creation of on-trend beverages, such as a complex-flavored chai latte or a tea-infused hard seltzer.

All “real” tea is made from leaves of the same evergreen plant: Camellia sinensis. The leaves are processed differently to achieve varying flavor dimensions. (Herbal teas are not derived from the C. sinensis plant and are classified as tisanes).     

Traditional black tea undergoes a full fermentation step after the leaves have been picked. This process is not a microbial fermentation but rather a series of reactions caused by the natural enzymes in the tea leaf that produce thousands of natural compounds. Oolong tea undergoes a partial fermentation while green and white tea have almost no fermentation. 

Dark teas are fermented and comprise the growing category of kombucha, a beverage known more for its health benefits than as refreshment. The inclusions of special microorganisms yield an effervescent beverage with probiotic function.

On the coffee side, suppliers are getting creative with different roast levels, special certifications and different brew types, namely traditional brew versus cold brew. The latter is a slow process, sans heat, that reduces the extraction of bitter compounds and in turn, produces a smoother, brighter flavor profile. It involves steeping coffee in ambient-to-cold water for up to 24 hours. Most beverage manufacturers do not have the space, time or expertise to make cold-brew coffee. Hence, they rely on industrial-produced extracts.

Reducing acidity

While cold brewing solved the bitterness issue of coffee for sensitive palates, there’s still the challenge of acidity that affects more than 20% of Americans suffering from ailments like heartburn, acid reflux and other stomach issues. Puroast Coffee Company Inc., High Point, NC, plans to overcome this hurdle with patent-pending technology incorporated into its heat transfer roasting process.

Through chemical analyses of coffee beans taken at various stages of the roasting process, the company has found a period of time when harsh-tasting acids in coffee are converted into antioxidants.

“We isolated samples from key stages of our roasting and tested their chemistry,” said Julio Mancera, director of product testing at Puroast Coffee. “We were able to track acid reduction using pH measurements.”

Taka Shibamoto, professor at the University of California – Davis, has studied Puroast’s process and published several papers on his findings, which include providing a 70% reduction in acidity, compared to other coffee brands, and increased antioxidant levels by seven times compared to green tea, and by more than five times compared to other brands of coffee.

Just the caffeine

For palates that find the taste of coffee and tea aversive, it is possible to formulate flavored beverages that provide the energy of coffee and tea caffeine. Florida Food Products, for example, is rolling out a high-potency caffeine ingredient that is labeled as green tea extract. It is standardized to 98% caffeine and comes with extra benefits.

“Natural and synthetic caffeine tend to be very similar but vary in their effects on the human body,” Ms. Callahan said. “Research shows that natural caffeine was found to have a longer lasting and more consistent effect on mood and mental cognition than synthetic caffeine. Green tea extract provides additional benefits such as reducing blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress. It has also been shown to improving skin health with reduced acne and skin aging.”

Van Drunen Farms/FutureCeuticals, Momence, Ill., is introducing a coffee fruit juice concentrate created from a patented process that concentrates the juice of upcycled coffee fruit. The water-soluble ingredient has a multi-dimensional flavor profile that works well in energy-style beverages.

Other products in the company’s coffee fruit portfolio include an ingredient that delivers native caffeine from the entire coffee fruit, not just the coffee bean. It is standardized to 70% caffeine and 5% polyphenols, including chlorogenic acids and organic acids. It was intentionally processed to retain natural coffee nutrients and meet the marketplace demand for natural energy sources, said Brendan Kesler, research and development innovation director at FutureCeuticals.

“We also offer an ingredient made from the cascara, or skin of the coffee fruit,” Mr. Kesler said. “For centuries cascara have been the waste stream of the coffee production process. When the cascara is discarded, it decomposes and creates harmful mycotoxins that are released into the environment. We’ve created a sustainable solution that preserves the cascara and repurposes it as a superfood for today’s functional beverage applications.”