Hibiscus is another floral flavor that is gaining ground in premium beverages, such as OOBA, a sparkling 100 percent natural hibiscus drink, as well as an addition to cocktails. Sourced from Africa, hibiscus is expected to continue gaining ground in the US and other markets with increased attention on Africa for the upcoming World Cup.

Eric Spenske, director of marketing, beverage, Givaudan Flavors, predicts that floral flavors will rise in prominence over the next several years, particularly in the ready-to-drink tea and water categories.

Suzanne Niekrasz, director of marketing communication, Robertet Flavors Inc., notes that the company has been increasingly formulating with floral types such as jasmine, lavender, orange blossom, and herbal types such as lemongrass in ready-to-drink beverages.

Herbs have been valued throughout history for culinary and medicinal qualities as botanical ingredients like cinnamon, rosemary and mint have long been part of the human diet. Herbs can serve as natural functional foods, as they can provide more than basic nutrition by containing substances that play a role in cardiovascular health and cancer prevention. Beverage developers are now turning back to Mother Nature to find all-natural remedies for modern consumers’ health needs.

BI Nutraceuticals, a supplier of herbal and tea extracts, has seen increased demand for botanical ingredients such as guarana extract, yerba mate extract, green tea, panax ginseng, elderflower, hibiscus, açai and acerola to be used in beverage products, according to Walt Postelwait, vice president, sales and marketing, BI Nutraceuticals.

“It’s been an ongoing, but increasing trend, and obviously from the consumer point of view, the consumer needs have changed and they are looking for beverages that not only taste great, but have some sort of health and wellness benefit to them,” he says.

Some botanicals, such as guarana, yerba mate and green tea, contain caffeine and have obvious energy-inducing benefits, which is why these ingredients are often added to energy drinks. Green tea and yerba mate also have high antioxidant levels as well, Postelwait says.

Green tea extract is now being added to products like weight loss beverages, energy drinks and beauty beverages for metabolism-boosting and anti-aging effects. Many ingredient suppliers are receiving requests for more exotic types of teas or tea-like ingredients, such as matcha, red tea or rooibos, white peony tea and green coffee beans.

Finlay Teas, a vertically integrated tea supplier, offers a range of tea extracts that can be used in beverages from the more common like oolong and green to more exotic teas like rooibos, honeybush and puer, a tea of Chinese origin.

“You’ve also got other ingredients being added for different functionalities, such as ginseng for cognitive and alertness, and elderflower, which is known for its immunity and detox capabilities. Hibiscus also has high antioxidant levels,” Postelwait says.

Function Drinks incorporates harpagophytum procumbens, a plant native to South Africa and better known as Devil’s Claw, into its Shock Sports formula due to the plant’s natural anti-inflammatory benefits. Other herbal ingredients making their way into beverages include maca, which purportedly helps rebuild weak immune systems, honey, lemongrass, geranium, bissap and yohimbe, which has natural aphrodisiac properties. Maritime pine bark extract is gaining attention as an all-natural anti-inflammatory ingredient. Several ingredient manufacturers now offer branded forms, including Toyo Bio-Pharma’s Toyo-FVG and Pycnogenol from Natural Health Science.

A major challenge to using botanical ingredients in beverages is properly extracting the ingredients and making them water-soluble, Postelwait says. Flavor masking might also be necessary to mask bitter off-notes.

Beverage formulators also must be aware of the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status of the botanical ingredients being used, as ingredients used in the dietary supplement field for years may not necessarily be GRAS for use in beverages, many formulators point out.

From Beverage World March 15, 2010