Once a niche trend, health and wellness has gone mainstream as many market research firms have highlighted in reports. As better-for-you options abound throughout the consumer packaged goods market, beverage formulators are turning to stabilizing ingredient sources to maintain product efficacy.
“Trends in health and wellness, functionality, and weight management often go hand in hand, and we've seen interest in all three,” says Adams M. Berzins, solutions technical service project leader for Ingredion Inc., Westchester, Ill. “Typically, each of these categories gets defined by value by addition, as in the case of proteins and actives. Or the category gets defined by value by subtraction, as in the case of calories, sugar or animal-based ingredients. This value by addition or subtraction opens opportunities for stabilization, texture optimization or even texture differentiation by offering a unique eating experience.