Applied Food Sciences, Inc. (AFS) Dissects What Purity and Safety Mean for Caffeine Ingredients
When it comes to energy beverages, people want their cake and eat it too. The demand is for an energy drink to provide the prescribed “buzz,” but also be “good for you,” i.e. made with “natural,” non-synthetic or artificial ingredients that are proven safe for human consumption. Applied Food Sciences, Inc., maker of PurCaf™, a botanically-sourced, certified organic and non-GMO caffeine ingredient, is convinced that this isn’t just a fad – that as people become more educated and aware of what’s in everything they consume, including beverages, the demand will increase for products that are completely transparent in terms of ingredients.
A recent survey by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) reports that consumers not only want low and no calorie beverages, but also are concerned with ingredients in their drinks, such as caffeine and preservatives. And, as it turns out, not all caffeine is created equal.
A 2013 Mintel report states that 59% of consumers who consume energy drinks or shots are concerned about their safety. While the category continues to grow, there are a significant number of people who have said they cut back on energy drink and shot consumption because of concerns about safety.
“Consumers should definitely care about the quality and purity of the caffeine in their energy drink,” says Brian Zapp, marketing head at Applied Food Sciences. “Many energy drinks have chemical-sounding ingredients and, while these ingredients are not always bad, they are difficult for consumers to trust because they are unfamiliar with them or how they will make them feel. Instead, when the back of a product reads: Ingredients – Certified Organic Caffeine (Sourced from Green Coffee Beans), consumers can feel less concerned about consuming it because they know exactly what they are putting in their bodies.”
According to a recent SPINS survey on consumer habits, 44% of beverage consumers prefer beverages that are good for them. This has led consumers to shop differently and the easy step is to look for organics. Unfortunately, formulating with organic ingredients proves to be difficult because of the challenges associated with solubility, taste and color.
“Companies are coming to us because organic caffeine is hard to source and even harder to work with,” Zapp said. “Most botanical caffeine is only 30-40% caffeine by volume. Therefore, in beverage formulation, companies would usually have to use 2-3 times as much raw ingredient to get the desired level of caffeine. That much extra organic material can easily alter the taste and mouth feel of a beverage. PurCaf™ solves this problem because it is 90.5% caffeine.”
PurCaf™ is made from green coffee beans that are 100% certified organic, and non-GMO. PurCaf is water soluble and clear in solution offering formulators a solution in organic beverages.
PurCaf will be exhibiting at BevNET LIVE in Santa Monica, CA on December 8-9, 2014, at Booth # 10.
Austin, Texas-based Applied Food Sciences specializes in developing ingredients and technology for nutritional products. For more information, visit www.appliedfoods.com or call 1-800-345-9966.
