Ingredient Spotlight

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As a get-up-and-go beverage, ready-to-drink (RTD) hot, iced and cold-brew coffee continues to fuel consumers in the morning and throughout the day.

With consumers increasing their scrutiny of what’s in the consumer packaged goods (CPGs) that they consume, beverage-makers are responding by providing more products made with recognizable ingredients, like domestic fruits. As more consumers look for simplicity and transparency, these ingredients have garnered more attention.

There’s an idiom that states to “feed a cold, starve a fever.” To stay healthy and prevent illnesses like the common cold, consumers increasingly are turning to foods and beverages that are high in natural, immunity-boosting ingredients like antioxidants.

Honey is a versatile, all-natural ingredient being used to add flavor and sweetness to a plethora of products, including beer, ready-to-drink teas and energy drinks as well as spirits.

With health-and-wellness trends driving product innovation, protein is making its move throughout the aisles as 17 percent of new products contain protein, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.’s August New Product Pacesetters report “Harvesting the Fruits of Innovation Done Right.”

With natural and clean-label trends proliferating in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market, many CPG companies are transitioning from artificial to natural ingredients. Among those in high demand are natural vanilla ingredients.

As the number of label-reading consumers grows exponentially, beverage-makers that are looking to appeal to these consumers are launching botanical-based beverages in increasing numbers across various categories.

Although a tidal wave of new flavors have been flooding the market, staple flavors, like citrus, have held their ground, according to experts. The two most popular citrus options, lemon and orange, remain solid competitors against newer fruit entrants in the market.

Originally written and performed as a Christmas song, “Fruitcake” extols the virtues of cinnamon by proclaiming, “Cinnamon, cinnamon, don’t forget the cinnamon. Cloves and spice will make it nice, but don’t forget the cinnamon.” In addition to being a popular baking ingredient, cinnamon also is resonating as a popular flavor within more beverages, experts note.

Whenever consumers make Jell-O, thicken gravy or add corn starch to a pie filling, they knowingly or unknowingly are using hydrocolloids to thicken their products and give them a desired consistency. As health-and-wellness trends impact new product development, beverage formulators increasingly are using these ingredients to give consumers the clean label, nutrient-enriched beverages they seek, experts say.