Palmer Holland In the News

Sports Nutrition Beverage
Despite these challenges, the focus on nutrition, health, and wellness is reshaping consumer priorities and driving interest in sports nutrition beverages. Key trends include reduced sugar, alternative sweeteners, and the addition of protein, fiber, and nutritional fortifications. Consumers increasingly demand clean labels and excellent flavor in convenient formats. To drive repeat purchases, beverages must not only be healthy but also visually appealing and great tasting.




Beverage Technology Highlights 
PEA PROTEIN:
The current market conditions for pea protein in the USA show a complex landscape influenced by various factors, including international trade dynamics, demand trends, and industry developments. The market is driven by increasing demand for plant-based proteins in dietary supplements, bakery products, meat substitutes, and beverages.
A significant portion of the U.S. pea protein supply comes from China, accounting for the majority of imports in recent years. These imports are priced significantly lower than domestic products, leading to competitive pressures on U.S. producers. Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a determination on anti-dumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) duties for Chinese pea protein, with rates as high as 612%. This move aims to protect domestic producers from unfair pricing practices.





Puris Proteins LLC., the largest manufacturer of pea protein and its derivatives in North America, has recently developed two game-changing pea proteins for the beverage category. Puris Pea 2.0 has high solubility, smooth and creamy mouthfeel, and the least impact on flavor of any pea protein available today, making the 2.0 ideal for ready-to-drink beverages, dry beverage blends, and non-dairy applications like yogurt, cheese, and milk.

Similarly, Puris Pea HiLo is an acid-stable plant protein
designed for optimal performance in low
pH/high acid applications. Its ultra-high solubility, stability and smooth mouthfeel makes adding it to products with a pH ≤ 4.5 ideal. This protein is perfectly suited for fruit juices, fruit purees, coffee, sport nutritional beverages, functional and carbonated waters, and more.


ALTERNATIVE SWEETENERS:
The U.S. alternative sweetener market is set for robust growth, driven by consumer preferences for healthier, low-calorie, and natural sweetener options. Companies are responding with innovative products and formulations to capture a larger market share.
Major applications include beverages, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and tabletop sweeteners. The beverage segment, particularly non-alcoholic drinks like soft drinks and energy drinks, dominates the market due to the extensive use of sweeteners in these products​. Customer preferences on alternative sweetener options include allulose, stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol, with each of them having a slight edge over the other in specific influence areas. For example, allulose is preferred on cost and likeness to sugar, whereas erythritol may be chosen for its cooling effect.

Allulose has 90% fewer calories than conventional sugar and offers a sweetening power up to 70% of sucrose. Allulose has a taste profile very similar to sugar with no significant aftertaste, making it highly acceptable to consumers who desire a sugar-like experience. Allulose is also tooth-friendly and does not impact blood sugar levels, making it suitable for diabetics and those on low-carb diets.

Cellobiose, another promising innovation from Savanna Ingredients GmbH, is a functional carbohydrate. Due to its low solubility, this sugar is versatile and can be used as a fermentation sugar but also as an exfoliant in scrubs. Cellobiose, 20% as sweet as sucrose, has a Glycemic Index of 27 and is verified tooth friendly for consumers.

Savanna Ingredients GmbH, part of The Nature’s Richness Group (NRG) and Pfiefer & Langen, is an innovative German manufacturer of allulose and cellobiose from GMO-free raw materials. These functional carbohydrates are well-positioned to help formulators and consumers target health trends such as sugar & calorie reduction, as well as digestive wellness.

CLEAN LABEL STABILIZERS:
Hydrocolloids are often used in beverages to offer stability, gelation, thickening and texturizing properties. Which product you choose depends on your formulation targets.

CEAMSA, an innovative Spanish manufacturer of natural hydrocolloids, provides carrageenan, pectin, citrus fiber, alginate, gellan gum, and refined locust bean gum.
Gellan gum, a natural ingredient developed through fermentation, is receiving added attention for its support to stabilize, thicken, suspend, and texturize beverages. It is commonly used in plant-based beverages to enhance mouth feel and suspend alternative proteins.

The cost of producing gellan gum can be high due to the complexity of its extraction and purification processes. Fluctuating prices of raw materials and the energy-intensive nature of production contribute to overall costs, while stringent regulations and standards for food additives by region and can impact the market. The clean-label trend is driving manufacturers to adopt gellan gum, which is considered a natural and safe additive. This aligns with consumer preferences for transparency and natural ingredients, positively influencing its market penetration.

With only one North American manufacturer and very few in Europe, the major production center for gellan gum is China. North America and Europe drive significant consumer demand, but they rely heavily on imports from Asia. This reliance can lead to price fluctuations based on geopolitical and trade conditions.

LACTOSE-FREE DAIRY:
Lactose intolerance is on the rise globally; in North America 49% of Americans and 69% of Canadians are reported to be lactose intolerant.

With over 350 patents and a Nobel Prize to its credit, Valio is paving the way for lactose-free dairy products around the world. A brand leader in Finland since 1905, Valio is a major player in the international dairy ingredients industry. This farmer-owned company harnesses the happy cows of over 3,700 Finnish dairy farms to bring its innovations to life. With sustainability at the core of its business, Valio has been nominated as the most sustainable brand numerous times. The Eila Pro line of lactose-free skim milk, whole milk and milk protein concentrate powders address the rising needs of our customers.


With more consumers concerned with sugar content and the continued interest in high quality, complete protein, lactose-free milk powders offer 30% less sugar and 30% more protein than conventional versions. They are ultra-filtered to remove the lactose, with a clean, fresh-dairy flavor.

BETAINE for Hydration, Performance & Recovery:
Consumers are more interested in functional foods than ever before and are looking specifically to beverages to get their daily boost of nutrition to meet health, lifestyle, and athletic performance goals.
Natural betaine is considered an organic osmolyte and methyl group donor making it an ideal ingredient for beverages, specifically those centered around sports performance, endurance and recovery, cardiovascular, gut, immunity, mental health, and beauty/skin wellbeing. This versatile ingredient is easily added to new or existing applications given its high solubility, neutral taste, smell, and color attributes.
Agrana GmbH, headquartered in Austria with a strong focus on innovation, is an internationally recognized manufacture of fruit, starch, and sugar. It has recently developed a natural betaine, also known as trimethyl glycine (TMG) from GMO-free sugar beets.