Gut health is the most sought-after functional benefit consumers look for in functional beverages, with 39% of respondents interested in products that promote it, highlights a Synergy Flavours report. But many of the sought-after flavors in the category are currently “not well represented in the market,” giving beverage manufacturers clear market gaps their products can fill, says Chris Whiting, the company’s European category development manager.

“The research uncovered nine key need-states or functional benefits that consumers are looking for in their food and beverage products: energy, gut health, immunity, muscle building/protein, brain health, skin health / care, hydration, female nutrition and healthy aging,” he tells Food Ingredients First.

“Immunity-boosting beverages emerged as most desirable, with data from Innova highlighting that 37% of consumers felt that ‘boosting immunity’ claims were most desirable in food and beverage products.”

The team also found a surge in popularity of botanical flavors due to their “perceived links to emotional responses.”

“Mint flavors are typically associated with making consumers feel ‘refreshed,’ ‘relaxed/calm’ and ‘stimulated,’” which may make it a suitable flavor for a product positioned as supporting cognitive health.”

“Oversaturated flavors”

The study involved over 5000 participants, including an even male-to-female ratio of global consumers between the ages of 18 and 65 and older.

“For each need stated, we conducted a gap analysis combining new product launch data with primary consumer research and used the Innova New Product Database to identify the top 15 flavors by launch volume in products targeting a specific functionality,” explains Whiting.

“based on this data, a pre-qualified consumer panel was asked through Vypr which flavors they would most likely choose. This enabled us to identify ‘oversaturated’ flavors, which appeared in a large number of product launches but had lower consumer interest, and flavors that have high consumer interest but appear in fewer product launches.”

Consumer interest in mango, ginger and turmeric flavors for gut health products was found to be much higher than the number of global products available, he adds.

Balancing taste and visual appeal

Whiting flags a technical hurdle flavor formulators for functional beverages face: ensuring that any inherent off-notes in some functional ingredients are managed effectively.

He suggests using masking solutions to neutralize off-notes in the base or strategically pairing flavors with similar aroma compounds to complement and work with the base’s inherent tastes.

Another challenge is the unsuitability of some “trending ingredients” for certain applications due to their physical properties. 

For instance, adaptogens such as ashwagandha and functional mushrooms may not be “fully soluble” and can leave sediment, which makes them unsuitable for applications such as flavored waters, wher clarity and transparency are key to a visually appealing product.

“Working with the ingredients and striking a balance to deliver benefits while also meeting consumer expectations for taste and visual appeal is therefore key.”

Manufacturers could overcome the challenges of less soluble ingredients by using them in a cloudy beverage formulation or packaging the drink in cans, so any visual challenges are “less apparent,” he explains.

Analyzing market gaps

The study also pointed to an emerging demand for functional benefits, such as skin health and hydration. However, the segment accounted for the fewest F&B launches since 2019. While 33% of consumers said they would be interested in cranberry-flavored products with skin health claims, only 4% of the launches featured the flavors.

Further, while 49% of consumers also said they seek citrus flavors in hydration products, with lemon and lime being the most popular flavor choice, the flavor only accounted for 6% of launches.

Hydration is also of specific interest to younger consumers “with over 40% of 25-34 year-olds taking an interest in functional products that improve hydration,” based on the company’s survey conducted at the Just Drinks: Innovation in non-alcoholic beverage conference held in London, UK last month, reveals Whiting.

“Additionally, female-targeted products are one of the fastest growing product types, with women’s specialty launches growing by 95% over five years.  So, the market could witness an expansion in these areas as consumer interest continues to grow.”

Meanwhile, 32% of respondents said they were interested in ginger-flavored digestion products and 31% in mango — but only 9% and 4% of launches, respectively, featured these flavors, highlights the report. Synergy Flavours has developed a mango and ginger flavor concept for gut-health beverages to meet these demands.

Flavor innovations

Manufacturers are also looking at “functionality” as a way of changing perceptions towards beverages, which Whiting believes is “sparking innovation in new products that blur the lines between nutrition and beverages.”

The company has developed flavor concepts based on in-demand flavors revealed by consumer research, which align with the flavors consumers associate with a specific need, Whiting tells us.

“For instance, a cranberry and aloe beverage concept may be of interest to consumers looking for skin health support, while lime and cherry flavors could appeal to consumers interested in immunity.”

Meanwhile, he also points out that “62% of people anticipate their business launching a functional beverage product within the next three years, making the industry a hot-bed for innovation.”

“We also found that 20.8% of consumers say that branded ingredients in nutritional products are worth paying more for in a protein beverage. While the ingredients don’t always offer on-pack claims of approved health benefits, many consumers will take time to research these ingredients and may even read efficacy studies related to them.”

“Manufacturers may tap into this by calling out branded ingredients on-pack.”

ongoing research

Synergy Flavours’ research into functional ingredients and new flavor concepts is ongoing and it plans to continue monitoring consumer trends and market data to support new product innovation, underscores Whiting.

“As part of this research, we are currently working on functionality in nutrition products and forming collaborations to develop flavors and ingredient blends that would target specifically active consumers, as well as everyday consumers.”

“This is because consumer expectations from nutrition products may differ from expectations for everyday products in terms of flavor preferences and ingredients, and consumers of active nutrition products may have different priorities when it comes to functionality,” he concludes.