“At PLT, we have a history in the supplement world of providing highly standardized, very high impact, human benefit ingredients derived from botanicals,” and as more consumers gravitated to beverages for their health benefits, PLT wanted to extend its wide range of functional ingredients into this new platform, Steve Fink, vice president of marketing for PLT Health Solutions, told FoodNavigator-USA at IFT FIRST Event and Expo in Chicago earlier this summer.
“But,” he added, many of the botanicals that deliver the benefits consumers want “don’t taste great and in many cases they are not soluble.”
“Through a lot of innovation,” we are now able to offer dissolvable, dispersible versions of ingredients “that we have been curating in the supplement space to bring into the burgeoning functional beverage category,” he said.
These include a trio of fast-acting, “experiential” ingredients with neutral taste, color and stability in three fast-growing functional beverage segments – energy, active nutrition and mood management.
Energy: Zynamite S extends award-winning mental energy, sports performance ingredient line
Within energy, PLT recently introduced Zynamite S – a dissolvable version of its award-winning mental energy and sports performance ingredient Zynamite.
The neutral tasting ingredient was designed for use in RTDs and shots “where solubility, heat stability and transparency in solution are key,” according to PLT.
Like its predecessor, Zynamite S offers non-stimulant energy and is a Mangifera indica extract from sustainably harvested mango leaves that can enhance sports, hydration and energy drinks with a benefit that consumers can feel within one hour depending on the dose based on clinical studies.
Mood management: Rhodiolife is healthy for people and the planet
Within mood management and cognitive health, PLT offers a soluble version of its popular adaptogen Rhodiolife, which is a standardized extract of Rhodiola rosea.
PLT says Rhodiolife’s “fingerprint” consistently provides the same percentage and ratio of rosvin, rosarin, rosin and salidroside found in the Rhodiola rosea root to positively impact anxiety, stress, cognition and other mood symptoms. It can also bolster immunity, including the cardiopulmonary and endocrine systems, and reduce exhaustion and fatigue to support active lifestyles.
Fink adds that PLT’s Rhodiola rosea is unique because it is cultivated via vegetative propagation with root rhizomes, rather than seeds, which the company says is faster, more dependable and consistent.
It also allows the company to sidestep adulteration and overharvesting concerns that have plagued the plant and deliver a consistent, sustainable supply that is third-party verified, said Fink.
“It is very important to make sure that you don’t only do things that are providing the human health benefit that are backed by science, but that you also want to have the additional [knowledge] that they are sustainably produced,” he explained. “So, you can check all of those boxes that consumers want. A lot of consumers will make a choice for an ingredient that works and is doing good for the earth.”
Active nutrition: RipFACTOR appeals across demographics
The third soluble ingredient PLT featured at IFT is its RipFACTOR Muscle Accelerator to support strength, mass and endurance within the active nutrition category. It is a blend of the traditional ayurvedic Sphaeranthus Indicus, or East Indian Globe Thistle flower head and mango tree bark.
Together, Fink said, these ingredients support muscular endurance, strength and muscle building – a trio of benefits that appeals to consumers across demographics.
“What we have been able to show is that through … the natural aging process, this is an ingredient that can provide strength, endurance and, and really give vigor, confidence and strength as you age,” said Fink.
He also noted that PLT has tested the ingredient in statistically significant cohorts of both men and women – the latter of which historically has been excluded from clinical research, but which PLT is actively trying to include in more clinicals.
Consumers want scientific support
Looking forward, Fink said he does not see consumer demand for functional beverages slowing down – rather he expects them to look for a wider range of health benefits and to look for science-backed ingredients as they learn more about the conditions they are trying to manage.
He explained that consumer interest in functional beverages spiked during the pandemic when many people were looking for beverages that could boost their immunity, cognition and mental well-being.
“I don’t see that slowing down,” he said.
To help manufacturers meet consumers’ rising bar for scientific support of health benefits and ingredients, he added PLT makes available extensive clinical research and is proactively including more diverse consumers – such as women – to support claims and viability of benefits for different demographics.
