Corner coffee shops have increasingly become regular rush hour stops as time harried consumers look to that morning cup of Joe as the liquid ambition they need to get through the day. Cup for cup, caffeine is one of the most effective jump starters around, but outside of the mug, it isn’t an ingredient that’s easy to formulate with, and neither are caffeine substitutes.

The greatest formulation challenge involves overcoming caffeine’s naturally bitter taste. “In spite of its inherent benefits—mood enhancement, improved concentration, increased physical stamina, improved memory function—not everyone likes the taste,” commented Winston Samuels, PhD, president and CEO, Maxx Performance Inc., Chester, NY. “Without some form of masking the bitter note it could not be added to most food or beverages.”

Delivering a precise amount of caffeine without overdosing can also be problematic. “It is difficult to deliver a precise amount of caffeine in a product because the amount in the finished product is dependent upon the processing conditions,” he continued. “Conventional methods of caffeine dosing are generally hit and miss. More than is necessary is added upfront in the hope that the desired amount will be in the end product. It is a very uncontrolled and uneconomical process especially during these times when the cost of raw ingredients has increased.”

Dr. Samuels says Maxx Performance has turned to microencapsulation as a processing tool to help overcome these challenges. Small particles of caffeine are coated with a thin, tasteless, edible film which masks the bitter taste of the caffeine so that it can be easily incorporated into food and beverage formulations without altering their flavor or texture.

The company’s microencapsulation technology also provides a precise delivery mechanism for caffeine. “The microencapsulation technology preserves the caffeine through the manufacturing process and also allows for controlled release up and down the gastrointestinal tract. End products contain only the desired amount of caffeine without any overage,” explained Dr. Samuels. “We also allow manufacturers to combine caffeine with multiple ingredients as part of a blend. We remove any interaction and mask taste simultaneously thus creating ease of application. Typical finished product applications for coated taste masked caffeine are breakfast cereal, brownies, energy beverages, cookies, bakery fillings, muffins, protein bars, sauce bases, confections, bulk bakery mixes, chewing gums, etc.”

And caffeine is just the tip of the iceberg. “Caffeine is the most common stimulant in the methylxanthine group of compounds, but other members of the group, like theobromine, are beginning to have a serious impact on the industry,” said Paul Altaffer, vice president business and product development, RFI Ingredients, Blauvelt, NY. “Theobromine, for example is considered to be slightly less stimulating than caffeine, but longer lasting, giving rise to the concept of endurance in energy. Endurance, as opposed to the jolt of energy, will have an important effect on the category. Products that are standardized to theobromine include Chocamine. Upshot, from Drinks that Work, also claims to have a blend of methylxanthines that includes theobromine.”

Alternative Blends

Some manufacturers have moved away from using caffeine singularly and have instead been combining it with other energy producing ingredients like guarana and B vitamins. Others are foregoing caffeine altogether in favor of natural energy ingredients and natural ingredient blends.

Mr. Altaffer highlighted the rising popularity of superfruit products such as goji and açai, and the impact they are having on the industry. “Over the short period of time these superfruits have so deeply penetrated the market, it is almost impossible to imagine an energy product these days without one or more of them,” he said, adding, “There is a movement toward natural energy products from specific sources that work with other synergistic active compounds. Look at the boom in sales of green tea, coffee, mate and chocolate products. All of these products contain polyphenols that work in synergy with the stimulant properties of the products. Natural is the key here, no added caffeine.”

In addition, Mr. Altaffer cited examples of companies doing interesting and progressive things in the energy category: Starbucks is adding ginseng and other botanical extracts to coffee, Jamba Juice is redefining breakfast with stimulating smoothies, Clif Bar has launched Energy Gels and Bars, Odwalla has launched Serious Energy smoothies, and Fruta Vida has combined açai, mate and another tropical fruit called Cupuaçu (in the theobroma family, related to cocoa).

RFI offers energizing natural and certified organic extracts of teas (green, black, white), mate and guarana, as well as Chocamine, a patented cocoa-based extract that brings much of the sensory benefits of chocolate with energy, cognitive and mood enhancing qualities.

“Ingredients, such as L-carnitine, taurine, caffeine, L-tyrosine, B vitamins and CoQ10, appear side by side with alkaloids like yohimbine, herbal caffeine sources (guarana, yerba mate, kola nut, green tea) and ginseng, in energy boosting functional foods and supplements,” said Shaheen Majeed, marketing director, Sabinsa Corporation, Piscataway, NJ. “Natural antioxidant actives that help in energy metabolism are also included in the category of energy support.”

Sabinsa’s natural Tribulin extracted from Tribulus terrestris is standardized for furostanol saponins that support energy levels, through metabolic activation. Tribulus terrestris has been used in Ayurveda to enhance energy levels and vitality. The company also offers CoQ10, an integral component of the energy release pathway in the body that is stored in the mitochondria of metabolizing cells. Sabinsa’s CoQ10 oil soluble and water dispersible forms are available for beverage applications.

Mr. Majeed noted that natural alternatives to caffeine are also subject to similar formulation caveats of taste, safety, stability and regulatory challenges. “For example, common delivery systems are beverages and ‘energy bars,’ all of which carry carbohydrate content with the potential to increase body weight,” he said, adding that while sugars are usually needed to taste-mask bitter actives, formulating with non-nutritive sweeteners can pose further challenges.

More importantly, he went on to say, mainstream food and beverage products require GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ingredients, and most manufacturers prefer an “all-natural” approach to formulation. “Technological innovation in ingredients and delivery systems helps to overcome these challenges,” he said. “For instance, encapsulation of bitter or highly colored actives, controlled release technologies to mitigate safety challenges, judicious combination of ingredients and selection of food or beverage matrices are a few approaches. However in every case, cost considerations and consumer preferences would dictate choices. Additionally beverage formulations require water-soluble ingredients and innovative solubilization technologies.”

“There are so many important and interesting shifts going on in the energy category,” surmised Mr. Altaffer. “The energy category continues to grow at breathtaking speeds, but the old days of selling caffeine in bad tasting formulas are over.”