client
Sleeping beverage
Our Role
We redefined fast-casual loyalty
Today’s Task
What We did Today?
Event: Sleeping Beverage – Initial Formulation & Optimization
How I Felt Before Starting – Developing a Night-time Functional Beverage
Formulating functional beverage formulations is always rewarding, but it is particularly insightful to develop a product that encourages sleep and relaxation with scientific, novel, and creative approach. Though I find it challenging to incorporate sleep inducing functional ingredients, my ability to explore natural or herbal sleep aids guided me to choose the most appropriate ingredients that is completely safe and improves the overall quality of the sleep. This approach started with reading all the monographs, literatures, and regulatory document to scientifically validate its dosage, use, and health claims.
🧪 What We Did Today
Product Development Plan – Formulation of dietary hydration drink
The task required:
Key Steps Followed Today:
- Sleep-enhancing ingredients, including herbal extracts, botanicals, and other natural components were selected and accessed for their functionality profiles and permitted levels compliance to food safety regulations.
- Formulation developed were focused on non-carbonation, zero-calorie with no sugar and no artificial preservatives.
- All the ingredients on the approved list were sourced through reputable suppliers.
- All the ingredients were evaluated for safety data, regulatory approval, and formulated to substantiate a functional claim.
- Developed a beverage with a clean label, by incorporating bioactive (sleep enhancing components) into the beverage matrix.
- Reviewed taste-masking strategies to mitigate any bitterness from some bioactive elements, and the presence of off-notes, or flaws inherent with the compound.
- Established the flavour profile with recommendations of calmness and comfort along with a functional benefit.
- Provided formulation optimization that improved mouthfeel and aroma for consumer acceptance.
- Conducted shelf-stability trials by controlling environment to store product samples.
- Conducted periodic testing to analyse taste, aroma, colour, pH and indicate functional activity retention.
📚 What I Learned?
Observations & Learnings
Taste and Flavor Challenges: Most bioactive compounds used for sleep flask some pretty strong, unique, or uncommon tastes, therefore advanced taste-masking systems were used.
Consumer Expectation: The drink formulated should not only be functionally efficacious but should also deliver a sensory experience that is calming.
Outcome
A ready-to-drink sleeping beverage that contains natural ingredients and sleep-inducing supplements were developed with food flavor profile. The results of the initial stability trials indicated good colour, flavour, stability and shelf life, minimal mouthfeel sedimentation, and no separation.
- Organoleptic evaluation (9-point scale):
- Appearance: 8.2
- Flavor: 7.7
- Mouthfeel: 7.9
- Overall acceptability: 7.8
Shelf life – 5 months for unopened pack, RTD should be consumed within 3 – 5days.
What Went Well?
- Solubility Stability: Natural sleep-inducing ingredients exhibited good solubility and stability in the initial trial. Only, minimal precipitation or sedimentation issues were observed.
- Taste Masking: Taste-masking techniques effectively reduced bitterness and off-notes from bioactives. The final profile was pleasant without any artificial additives.
- Clean-Label Stability: The clean-label formulation, free from added sugar and artificial preservatives, showed expected performance.
- Stability pH and color remained stable during early shelf-life testing.
- Bioactive Efficacy: Functional bioactives maintained their intended activity through processing and storage. Compatibility with the freshwater beverage matrix was confirmed.
⚠️ What Could Be Improved
- Flavor Complexity: Flavor complexity could be improved with additional multi-layered notes, such as cinnamon or spice blends.
- Shelf-Life Studies: Only one long-term shelf-life study has been initiated; further studies are needed to be confirmed for functional stability.
- Future Trials: Upcoming trials should explore processing optimizations and incorporate consumer sensory panels to enhance broader acceptance.
What made to choose FRL
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FRL
Project Code:24FRL-BEV-NPD 4577-01
Name:Mohammad Hassan
Project Code:24-FRL-FOD-NPD-2462-02
Name:Miral
Project Code: 24-FRL-FOD-NPD-3449-01
Name: Mehul Molir
Project Code: 24-FRL-BEV-REV-2878-01
Name: Esther
Project Code: 24-FRL-NPD-FTP-PMR-2660-02
Name: Harshad
Let’s create something Innovative and Delicious together
Food Research Lab strives for excellence in new Food, Beverage and Nutraceutical Product Research and Development by offering cutting edge scientific analysis and expertise.