client
Dietary Hydration Drink
Our Role
We redefined fast-casual loyalty
Today’s Task
What We did Today?
Event: Formulation and Optimization of Dietary Hydration Drink
How I Felt Before Starting – Formulating dietary hydration drink
Developing a naturally flavored, hydration drink that balances natural sweetness, flavor release, color stability, and mouthfeel while maintaining functional benefits is inherently complex. The challenge lies in selecting the ingredient for solubility without compromising sensory appeal. I was very thorough in developing the core hydration formulation that is compliant with WHO guidelines for vitamins and minerals while also meeting recommended dietary intake (RDA).
🧪 What We Did Today
Product Development Plan – Formulation of dietary hydration drink
The task required:
- To develop formulation that balances soluble vitamins, electrolytes, and natural colorants.
- To perform cold extraction and mild pasteurization techniques.
- To maintain pH, stability, and protect from oxidation.
Key Steps Followed Today:
- Accurately weighed electrolyte (mineral salts) and vitamins; ensured all powders were fine and free-flowing to aid solubility.
- Dissolved natural sweetener and mineral salts separately in purified water under gentle stirring at room temperature to avoid undissolved particles.
- Natural flavors and colors were gradually added while stirring to prevent precipitation or cloudiness.
- Used high-shear mixing or gentle homogenization to uniformly disperse natural colors and flavors without incorporating air.
- Adjusted pH using ascorbic acid or suitable acid regulators to maintain beverage stability and vitamin efficacy while preserving transparency.
- Filtered the mixture through a 0.5–1-micron filter or used fining agents compatible with natural ingredients to remove residual particulates.
- Added heat-sensitive vitamins (like Vitamin B6) post-filtration under controlled low-temperature conditions to preserve potency.
- Conducted immediate clarity and sedimentation tests to ensure no visible residues formed after vitamin addition.
- Filled the beverage into transparent bottles under aseptic conditions to prevent contamination and particulate formation.
- Stored samples at various temperatures (4°C, 25°C) and observed for sediment, clarity changes, or color shifts over time to confirm stability.
📚 What I Learned?
Observations & Learnings
- Gradual addition and high-shear mixing of natural colors and flavors prevented sedimentation and preserved beverage transparency.
- pH adjustment was essential to maintain both vitamin stability and clarity; deviating from target pH caused precipitation and color changes.
Outcome
The Dietary hydration came out well and good, but additional trials on flavour optimization should be conducted to further enhance the overall flavor profile.
Nutritional profile
- Calories: 10 – 20Kcal (natural sweetener)
- Electrolytes and Minerals:
- Sodium: Typically, 100–150 mg to support hydration balance.
- Potassium: Around 50–100 mg for muscle and nerve function.
- Magnesium and Calcium: Around 10–30 mg each contributing to electrolyte balance and bone health.
Organoleptic evaluation:
- Appearance: 8.0
- Flavor: 7.1
- Mouthfeel: 7.5
- Overall acceptability: 7.6
Shelf life: Ready-to-drink beverage should be consumed within 5-6 months.
What Went Well
- Ingredient sourcing was conducted from the specified retailer with complete accuracy and no misinterpretation.
- Blending and formulation ensured thorough mixing of all ingredients, resulting in a clear, residue-free beverage.
- Sensory optimization achieved a balanced taste profile and the desired characteristic colour upon flavour addition.
⚠️ What Could Be Improved
In dietary hydration formulations, flavour should be addressed promptly as it directly influences consumer acceptance and repeat purchase. Since electrolyte and vitamin blends can impart off-notes or bitterness, early flavour optimization ensures a balanced, refreshing taste profile that complements functional benefits while maintaining product stability and clean-label appeal.
Techniques to achieve acceptable flavour
- Proportion of natural extract and flavourings can be changed to achieve desirable outcome
- Should have adjusted acidity using citric or malic acid.
- Duration of homogenisation and pasteurisation could be altered to preserve bioactive components.
What made to choose FRL
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FRL
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Name:Mohammad Hassan
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Name: Harshad
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