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Although flavor-of-the-month programs often can be found in ice cream shops, alcohol beverages might be taking a cue from the channel.

In The Who’s 1965 rock song “My Generation,” the group sang about how older generations did not seem to understand its generation. Today, beverage research and development (R&D) experts are trying to change this notion by better understanding generational demographics for baby boomers, Generation Xers and millennials (also known as Generation Y) and formulating products that fit their nutritional and lifestyle needs.

In the United States, instant gratification has become commonplace thanks to technologies like smartphones and the Internet, but functional drinks also are making it a staple in the beverage industry.

Although some segments of the beverage industry often are associated with the obesity epidemic in America, more than half of consumers believe they are responsible for their own weight, according to research by The Hartman Group, Bellevue, Wash.

In the ballad “The Sweetest Thing,” the pop rock band U2 sang about how love is the sweetest thing, but when it comes to the beverage market, the sweetest thing also is the biggest thing. Across 13 ingredient categories, sweeteners accounted for 85 percent of the 46.4 million tons of ingredients used in beverages in 2011, according to an April 2013 report by Chicago-based Euromonitor International titled “Beverage Ingredients: Trends and Influences.”

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will host its annual meeting and food expo July 13-16 at McCormick Place South in Chicago. The event invites food science and technology professionals to attend and learn about the newest products, trends, tools and techniques in the ingredient, equipment, processing and packaging sectors as well as the companies behind them. More than 1,000 exhibitors are scheduled to present at this year’s expo.

Across the globe, consumers continue to seek more nutritional foods, beverages and supplements in order to improve their digestive health, according to a report by DuPont Nutrition & Health, Reigate, United Kingdom. As a result, digestive health is the largest segment of the functional foods market in Europe, Japan and South America, and it is on its way to becoming the largest functional segment in the United States as well, the report states.

Researchers at D.D. Williamson conducted an informal taste test with students between the ages of 16 and 18 to determine whether the color of a beverage impacts its flavor perception.

There is no shortage of new product launches within the energy drink and shot sector. According to the Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights’ database, 124 energy drink and shot products launched in the United States in 2012. Of those product launches, energy/alertness was the top health positioning.

Although Valentine’s Day has passed, stevia is still “whispering sweet nothings” into consumers’ ears. As a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that’s sweeter than sugar, stevia is capitalizing on consumer demand for natural and healthy beverages.