AFS News
(Even Better) Better-For-You Extruded Snacks
Most of us can't help but occasionally surrender to the addictive convenience of grabbing a crinkly bag off the snack aisle. If you are like 95% of Americans, who snack at least once a day, you will likely have had the delight of trying the puffy, crunchy, airy treats known as extruded snacks - think Cheetos, Pirate's Booty, Veggie Straws, Cereal, and more [1]. Extrusion is a food processing method used to make...
Mastering Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Baking With Hemp Protein
Protein plays a substantial role in baked goods. Beyond adding nutritional value, protein conditions dough, provides structure, retains moisture, and enhances texture. Therefore, as newer plant-based ingredients take the place of traditional proteins like animal proteins or gluten, formulation expectations must continue to evolve as well. The opportunity for plant-based protein in baked goods is undeniable. Grocery...
The Next Move in Organic Vitamin C
While vitamin C is naturally found in many fruits and vegetables, most beverage applications use artificial vitamin C. Yet, as new organic ingredients emerge, beverage producers are finding value in branding around “organic vitamin C.”
Five Functional Ingredients that Stand Out on the Shelf
What draws people to certain products over others? Brands only have seconds to grab a consumer's attention on the shelf, and added functionalities only help influence their purchasing decisions. Consumers want to thrive with the products they love, and as a result, just about every food group is trying to enhance what it brings to the market. Supporting this trend, ingredient innovator Applied Food Sciences (AFS)...
Hemp Seed Protein Gives Rise to Healthy Pizza Dough
In today’s food landscape, product labels like ‘Gluten-free,’ ‘Lactose-free,’ and ‘Soy-free’ are the most common claims that accommodate both allergies and the popularized idea of clean, or ‘free-from’ eating. For instance, about 1% of Americans have celiac disease, but a growing estimate of 30% of U.S. adults limit or eliminate gluten from their diets to try improving their overall health [1]. In the last several years, food manufacturers supported this demand by...
Boosting Immune Health by Protecting Against Toxins with Glucarate
Maintaining our immune health is crucial for the prevention of illness. While people are familiar with 'boosting the immune system' by taking vitamins to fend off cold & flu, it is equally important to defend the body against harmful toxins, chemicals, and other pollutants that can cause an immune response. Every day we are exposed to a myriad of microplastics, excess hormones, preservatives, pesticides, and other toxic compounds, which are health concerns....
The story of guayusa
We want to share our story about the broader impact that sourcing botanicals can have on communities. This article tells the story of a novel Amazonian tea and its incredible impact on the indigenous people that produce it. What is Guayusa? Guayusa ("gwhy-you-sah") is a caffeinated holly species that grows only in the upper Amazon basin of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Historical records suggest that leaves from guayusa have been used and traded since at...
Industry News
Five Functional Food & Beverage Trends in 2022
When like-minded companies come together, it beckons the collaborative spirit needed to innovate and stay on top of trending markets. That is why, at AFS, we gather our intel from working with thousands of brands each year and share what we consider to be the top trends in the natural products industry. Here are five trends that AFS believes will shape the industry in the coming years....
Five Notes from Vitafoods Europe 2019
Europe has a lot to offer the natural products industry and at the Vitafoods Europe Show held every year in Geneva, Switzerland, many of the latest EU innovations are on display. For Applied Food Sciences (AFS) participating in this show is an important avenue to connect with customers from all over the world. While it is a...
Promera Sports announces new and advanced formulas for the only natural product line in sport nutrition.
ProMera Sports, arguably the sports nutrition industry’s most innovative company with its history of molecular development and new category creations (e.g. Patented Creatine HCl®, Alpha-GEE®, ALPHA RECOVERY PLUS™ for the treatment of DOMS and exercise induced inflammation and other significant...
Solving the Caffeine Paradox
5 minutes to readThe average U.S. consumer will have around 220 mg of caffeine per day, which is about the amount in two cups of coffee.[i] Besides routine, the aim is to increase mental alertness and focus throughout the day. While caffeine has therapeutic benefits, it can also cause unwanted side effects i.e., the nervous, jittery feelings that make it hard to...
Organic, functional innovation essential for energy drink and shot growth
During the past decade or so, the energy drinks and shots category has experienced solid growth. In 2016, wholesale dollar sales for energy drinks grew 7.3 percent to $7.8 billion, according to Roger Dilworth, senior editor at New York-based Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC). Energy shots, on the other hand, experienced 2 percent wholesale dollar sales...
The Heart of Plant Based Meats
No disrespect to the original veggie burgers, but consumers may never settle for dry, spongy patties again… not after trying an Impossible Burger. The bar is set on what is forecasted to be an $85 billion industry by 2030.
Three Reasons Energy Drinks Will Continue To Dominate The Shelf
In 1987, an energy drink was sold for the very first time in its home market of Austria. The original beverage, at the time called Krating Daeng, was actually a Thai energy drink marketed to truckers, farmers, and construction workers. It wasn’t until Austrian business man, Dietrich Mateschitz, drank this formula to cure his jet lag that Red Bull finally “got its wiiings” and a new category was born. In 1987, an energy...
Applied Food Sciences Gains Non-GMO Project Verification
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) has taken the next step in demonstrating transparency by getting four of its core ingredients Non-GMO Project Verified. The company’s PurCaf organic caffeine headlines a list of sustainably sourced offerings. PurCaf Organic Caffeine – a 95% caffeine extract from organic green coffee beans PurTea Organic Caffeine – a 90% caffeine extract from organic green tea leaves JAVA.g – a polyphenolic blend of...
AFS issues Patent for Producing Guayusa Extract
AFS is pleased to announce it is the exclusive owner of U.S. Patent #9345707, a process patent that covers the production of enriched natural guayusa, from a single source plant, containing antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine. The purpose of this process...
Winning in the Early Stages of Craft Spirits
While many beverage brands will succeed or fail within their first two years, whiskey will be slowly aging in barrels. To have success in craft spirits, a now nearly four-billion-dollar industry, it is worth the wait. For up and coming Longtucky™ Spirits, the solution for this waiting game is to perfect the tasting room experience by creating a memorable environment and delicious,...
Tech Experts Launch Free-Flowing Curcumin
Downtime… The Struggle is Real Working with traditional curcumin ingredients can be a manufacturer’s nightmare because turmeric causes caking in production lines and stains equipment. In fact, due to the drastically lengthier cleanup times, some companies refuse to take on turmeric projects...
Five Functional Ingredients that Stand Out on the Shelf
What draws people to certain products over others? Brands only have seconds to grab a consumer's attention on the shelf, and added functionalities only help influence their purchasing decisions. Consumers want to thrive with the products they love, and as a result, just about every food group is trying to enhance what it brings to the market. Supporting this trend, ingredient innovator Applied Food...
AmaTea Guayusa Tea Extract – Applied Food Sciences Caffeine Leaf?
Article written by: Supplement Police Guayusa or ‘Ilex guayusa’ as it is commonly referred to as in the amazon rainforest, is a species of tree from the family of the ‘holly genus’ plants. In terms of specific regionality, the leaves are naturally found as well as...
Ingredient Manufacturer Announces Non-GMO Project Verified Caffeine Ingredient
Austin, TX – Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) takes the next step in demonstrating complete transparency by getting four of its core ingredients Non-GMO Project Verified. The company’s PurCaf® organic caffeine headlines a list of innovative and sustainably sourced offerings by AFS. PurCaf®...
Applied Food Sciences Secure Patent for Producing Guayusa Extract
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) has announced it is now the exclusive owner of a process patent that covers the production of enriched natural guayusa, from a single source plant, containing antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine. Guayusa is a caffeinated leaf of the holly species that grows...
Three Steps to Achieve Transparency in Beverages
When it comes to beverages, the full concept of “clean" goes beyond incorporating natural ingredients into a formula. It aligns more with demonstrating the transparency of the product as a whole. This is because the premise behind “clean label" is consumers are...
Don’t Sleep on Organic, Soluble Turmeric
PurTurmeric™, an innovative, superior quality turmeric extract, yields a complex flavor and full solubility for simple formulation. Look for this new ingredient from Applied Food Sciences (AFS) at BevNET Live and IFT, 2018. Trending TurmericOrganic Certified &...
The story of guayusa
We want to share our story about the broader impact that sourcing botanicals can have on communities. This article tells the story of a novel Amazonian tea and its incredible impact on the indigenous people that produce it. What is Guayusa? Guayusa ("gwhy-you-sah") is a caffeinated holly species that grows only in...
The story of guayusa
We want to share our story about the broader impact that sourcing botanicals can have on communities. This article tells the story of a novel Amazonian tea and its incredible impact on the indigenous people that produce it. What is Guayusa? Guayusa ("gwhy-you-sah") is a caffeinated...
Solving the Caffeine Paradox
Caffeine helps us stay alert and focus but can also cause anxiousness that makes it hard to… well, focus – a contradiction that has inspired further research.
Archive News
Organic, functional innovation essential for energy drink and shot growth
During the past decade or so, the energy drinks and shots category has experienced solid growth. In 2016, wholesale dollar sales for energy drinks grew 7.3 percent to $7.8 billion, according to Roger Dilworth, senior editor at New York-based Beverage...
Three Steps to Achieve Transparency in Beverages
When it comes to beverages, the full concept of “clean" goes beyond incorporating natural ingredients into a formula. It aligns more with demonstrating the transparency of the product as a whole. This is because the premise behind “clean label" is consumers are...
AmaTea Guayusa Tea Extract – Applied Food Sciences Caffeine Leaf?
Article written by: Supplement Police Guayusa or ‘Ilex guayusa’ as it is commonly referred to as in the amazon rainforest, is a species of tree from the family of the ‘holly genus’ plants. In terms of specific regionality, the leaves are naturally found as well as...
Applied Food Sciences Secure Patent for Producing Guayusa Extract
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) has announced it is now the exclusive owner of a process patent that covers the production of enriched natural guayusa, from a single source plant, containing antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine. Guayusa is a caffeinated leaf of...
AFS issues Patent for Producing Guayusa Extract
AFS is pleased to announce it is the exclusive owner of U.S. Patent #9345707, a process patent that covers the production of enriched natural guayusa, from a single source plant, containing antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine. The purpose of this process...
Applied Food Sciences Joins the UNPA as its Newest Executive Member
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS), an Austin, Texas-based ingredient supplier of novel organic and functional extracts designed for food, beverage, and nutritional supplements, is pleased to announce being accepted as the newest Executive Member of the UNPA....
Applied Food Sciences Opens State-of-the-art Innovation Center
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) demonstrates a commitment to innovation in food, nutrition and life sciences with the grand opening of a Midwest-based Innovation Center in Iowa City, Iowa. The Austin-based company, Applied Food Sciences, is a natural ingredient...
AFS Opens State-of-the-art Innovation Center
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) invests in the University of Iowa choosing its BioVentures Center (BVC) to be location for the company's newest branch for plant-based ingredient innovation. AFS demonstrates a commitment to innovation in food, nutrition and life...
Beverage Expert Applied Food Sciences Makes Breakthrough With Two New Organic Ingredients
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) has taken the next step in their organic offerings, introducing two new organic ingredients PurGinger™ organic ginger extract and Pur-C™ organic vitamin C extract at the upcoming BevNET Live conference...
Three Reasons Energy Drinks Will Continue To Dominate The Shelf
In 1987, an energy drink was sold for the very first time in its home market of Austria. The original beverage, at the time called Krating Daeng, was actually a Thai energy drink marketed to truckers, farmers, and construction workers. It wasn’t until...
Green Tea Extract Makes A Splash in the Energy Drink Market
Energy drinks are big business. And, despite setbacks in recent years, are still popular among Americans, with projected growth of 52% from 2014-2019, according to data from market research firm, Mintel. In 2015, energy drinks took up 6.2% of the total US soft drink...
How Applied Food Sciences’ Green Tea Extract is Unlocking Organic Energy Drinks
According to a recent Mintel report, energy drinks are not slowing down, in fact, they are expected to have excellent growth through 2019. Part of the reason energy drinks remain one of the only categories in beverage to continue sustained growth is that they are...
New Organic Green Tea Extract Designed for Energy Beverages
Applied Food Sciences’ New Ingredient, PurTea™, to Debut at Engredea in Natural Products Expo West Why make a new green tea extract? With advancements in technology and a better understanding of how botanical relationships work with the human body, significant...
Applied Food Sciences Obtains GRAS Status for PurCaf™ a Naturally Derived Source of Caffeine
Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) takes vital step obtaining self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for PurCaf™, a naturally derived green coffee bean caffeine, for use in food and beverages. Austin, Tex. – (April 2015) – An independent third- party...
“Clean Label” to Reignite Energy Drink Innovation
Applied Food Sciences Hosts Exclusive Retreat with Industry Experts in Market Trends, Innovation, and Regulations to Address Evolving Energy Drink Market Opportunities Consumer fear and mistrust is driving the demand for complete transparency in product...