Kids' Drinks

By: Paula Frank
Technical Editor

  Today's multimedia lifestyle gives kids access to a wealth of information. As a result, children have great purchasing power, and many companies devote significant resources to both marketing and developing beverage products specifically targeted toward kids. Fun colors and packaging, "cool" names, interesting flavors and promotional tie-ins go a long way toward attracting kids to particular beverages.

  Marketing beverages to kids also involves parent-friendly campaigns, and one key parental issue is nutrition. According to a 1996 USDA survey of children's diets, less than half of all children met the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium, and slightly more than a quarter failed to meet the RDA for vitamin C. Four years later, fortification of kids' beverages has become prevalent to the point where it's almost certain that children are closer to meeting that RDA.

  However, whether a beverage delivers good nutrition or is just a way to quench thirst, it's important for the product developer to understand what makes a kids' drink great and what keeps them coming back for more.

  Generally speaking, it's easier to develop a product for a particular market when armed with some knowledge about that segment's buying behavior. Many companies, either at the supplier level or the consumer-products level, seize the opportunity to study consumer behavior in an effort to increase their chances of marketplace success. "IFF is really a consultant in the area of kids' drinks," says Amanda Smith, consumer insights specialist with International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), Dayton, NJ. "We have specialized research techniques that we use with children. We monitor the kids' marketplace both within the beverage area as well as other areas, and even outside food and beverage, to understand kids. It's increasing our probability of success and our customers' probability of success. The more we truly understand about kids as a consumer segment, the better off we're going to be in providing a flavor solution that really works."

  So, what does all the buyer-behavior research indicate? Let's take a "virtual" walk down the beverage aisle. Here we find neon blue and glowing-green beverages packaged in bright colors. Sports drinks abound, with names like Jagged Ice™ and Mountain Blast® (two drinks in Coca-Cola's Powerade® line), colored royal blue and turquoise respectively. Then there are products like the Mondo Alien Cooler™ and Global Grape® artificially flavored fruit drinks manufactured by The Jel Sert Company in West Chicago, IL that might attract kids on name alone. Other catchy names stand out too, such as Fruit Integration®, Strawberry Awareness® and the Grape Beyond®, all part of Coca-Cola's Fruitopia® line of 10% fruit juice drinks with 100% vitamin C per serving.

  Juices, and even milk products, in aseptic drink boxes with straws attached appeal to kids and moms who desire portability, convenience and nutrition. Some drink packages even come with sports motifs or cartoon characters.

  Trendy drinks continue to grow in popularity. Snapple Beverage Company, White Plains, NY, recently introduced Whipper Snapple™, most likely modeled after the popular foodservice smoothie blend of fresh fruit and yogurt. And adults aren't the only ones consuming coffee-flavored beverages such as the Starbucks® line of Frappuccino® drinks - teens and preteens think they're trendy, too.

  Also, don't forget the ever-popular carbonated soft drinks and powdered drinks. Colas and lemon-lime-flavored soft drinks continue to dominate soft-drink shelves, yet flavors like grape, orange and cherry are also kid favorites. Traits associated with liquid drinks, such as bright colors, fun names and unique flavor blends dominate powdered drink mixes as well.

  "What's going to drive the initial purchase of a beverage product with kids will be the eye-catching package, the promotions, the advertising, maybe the bright color of the beverage," notes Smith. This type of information should give the beverage manufacturer keen insight into a kid's buying behavior, but what will ensure a repeat purchase? "All those things are setting the stage for a kid's expectation for that product and what it's going to taste like. The next step is to make sure that you deliver a taste or a flavor that's going to meet those expectations, and only then will you secure repeat purchase of that product," she continues.

  A beverage's physical attributes are important to kids, but they may also be influenced by price. According to Don Giampetro, national sales manager, tropical fruit purees and concentrates, I.T.I., Inc., Lawrenceville, NJ, kids only have a certain amount of money in their pockets, so they're saying, "how much can I get for a dollar?" Spending one dollar on a beverage is less risky than spending far more on a video game. If a kid dislikes the beverage, he or she's only out a dollar, adds Smith. Even so, to kids, a dollar is a precious commodity, which is why they are particular about what they spend their money on, says Silvia King, senior sensory scientist, McCormick Flavors, Hunt Valley, MD. All the more reason why quality and image are important, she says.

  Packaging often plays a key role in attracting kids to drinks, for a variety of reasons, including convenience, size, colorfulness and whether or not it's fashionable. Sometimes a new form of packaging can even increase sales of a familiar product. Dean Foods, a Franklin Park, IL-based fluid dairy processor, overcame a consumer "commodity" mentality with the value-added Chug™ milk product. Although the package was not originally developed with kids in mind, the 8-oz. multi-packs are "definitely a kids' product," notes Sylvia Oriatti, director of marketing.

  Additionally, packaging size and graphics reflect the target audience. McCain Citrus of Oak Brook, IL sells juice in two drink-box sizes. According to Gail Wheeler, director of marketing, the smaller Junior Juice® boxes are geared toward kids ages 18 months to 5 years, while at 12 oz., the larger ones are geared toward 8- to 13-year olds. "An 8-year old wouldn't drink Junior Juice, because it's for the younger kids," says Wheeler. "Junior Juice has playful characters like a little mouse or a rabbit on it that wouldn't be cool for the older set."

  Young kids most likely consume 8- to 12-oz. beverages. Over age 12, they generally like bigger packages in the 16- to 20-oz. range. "They (soda manufacturers) use the terms 'slam' or 'bold,' or something that describes 'bigger,' because the kids like larger gulps. You see it when you go to fast food restaurants and the cup is like a bucket - it's very big," says Giampetro.

  Key attributes such as flavor, color, convenience, packaging, price and nutrition attract both kids and their parents. These are determined by changes in technology, demographics and society as a whole. Successful companies monitor these changes and develop their products accordingly. Also, packaging preferences in the United States might not apply universally. Wheeler points out that drink boxes are popular for all ages in Europe, while primarily consumed by kids in this country.

  After just a brief glance down the beverage aisle, it isn't difficult to see what's popular among kids. But what specific trends are really out there, and how might these shift in the future?

  Products that offer good taste and nutrition appeal to parents and kids alike, says T. Leslie Fisher, vice president of technical marketing at Flavors of North America (FONA), Carol Stream, IL, who also sees growth in all-natural flavor beverages as well as the sports-drink category. Giampetro speculates that more high-quality drinks containing 80% to 100% juice will enter the market. These high-calorie-load and thicker-consistency beverages could provide a satisfying sandwich accompaniment in kids' lunches, or serve as a complete meal replacement.

  Fortification of juices is growing; drinks with added vitamin C and calcium are common. Botanicals also offer added "health" benefits. Currently, although beverages targeted toward adults contain botanical ingredients, Ram Chaudhari, senior executive vice president of research and development at Fortitech, Inc., Schenectady, NY, cautions against promoting botanicals for children at this time because of lingering standardization and quality-control issues. He does, however, predict growth in the botanical market as science rapidly evolves.

  On the flavor front, intensity is the word. "Kids like high-impact flavors," notes Jennifer Crouch, Ph.D., senior sensory analyst, David Michael & Co., Inc., Philadelphia, PA. "When they drink a cherry beverage, they want it to shout cherry. This is often achieved through the use of artificial flavors and higher levels of both acid and sweeteners. Adults, on the other hand, generally prefer more subtle flavors, which most often are associated with natural flavors and lower levels of acids and sweeteners."

  Not only do kids like intense flavors, they like a high level of sweetness as well. According to Smith, research shows that kids like products that are nearly twice as sweet as adults' preferred level.

  Kid-preferred flavor profiles generally differ from an adult's. For instance, in a strawberry flavor, children favor more candy-like notes, whereas adults like more "jammy-cooked notes," explains Smith. Even flavors in milk products show some division among kids and adults. "Chocolate, strawberry and banana flavors appeal to kids and adults alike; however, strawberry and banana flavors are more for kids," says Oriatti.

  Taste preferences vary among children of different ages. "Young children prefer flavors like different chocolates, tutti-fruity, peanut butter, cinnamon and cooked-milk flavors like custard. Older kids' flavor preferences tend toward cinnamon with heat, fruit-and-cream, coffee sweetened with chocolate, caramel, and marshmallow," explains Alan MacFadden, manager, beverage applications, McCormick Flavors. Older kids caught on to the coffee, mocha and chocolate-milk-based drink craze brought on by products like Starbucks' Frappuccino beverage, he says. Wheeler adds that the younger kids often drink apple-based juices like apple-pear, apple-cherry and plain apple.

  While some exotic-type flavors occur in the market, traditional flavors such as lemon-lime and orange are still quite popular. Still, even traditional flavors like orange and grape are more upscale than they used to be. These more sophisticated flavors tend to replace the familiar "belly-wash," an industry term referring to colored sugar water, says Fisher. Also, blends of traditional and nontraditional flavors are becoming more prevalent. Apple, pear and white grape juices are often used as a base and top-noted with juice concentrates or other flavors, such as a peach and/or mango concentrate with an N&A tropical flavor, says Giampetro.

  Several emerging trends provide multi-sensory experiences. Super-sour flavors stimulate sour taste buds, while menthol-type cooling sensations from intense mints continue to increase in popularity for kids, says Smith. "Also things like fizz and ultra-carbonation - anything that provides a secondary sensory experience in addition to a beverage that's just thirst-quenching - are intriguing to kids," she adds.

  Aside from traditional flavors like cherry, grape, strawberry, orange and fruit punch, kids are enjoying new and exciting varieties such as banana, watermelon, kiwi (usually combined with strawberry), anything sounding remotely tropical, piña colada, mango in combination with other flavors, blue raspberry, and berry blends. Flavor companies are constantly challenged with creating the newest taste sensation that will become the next trend in the beverage aisle.

  Introducing kids to new flavor concepts isn't always as straightforward as it may seem. Sometimes flavor trends move from one industry segment to another, but this isn't necessarily a fool-proof formula, explains MacFadden, who tried a popular jelly-bean flavor in a sports beverage only to see it "bomb."

  On the other hand, these transitions can meet with success. "Blue raspberry started out as a frozen-dessert flavor, moved its way into candy, and now you see a lot of blue-raspberry-flavored beverages as well. That's an example of the life-cycle of that flavor concept," explains Smith. Flavor transitions also occur from the yogurt and ice cream industries to the fluid dairy industry, says Oriatti. Take for example unique milk flavors such as cookies-and-cream and orange-creamsicle.

  Two other conventions enable beverage manufacturers to introduce new flavors to kids. With the first, unusual flavors are combined with known varieties to maintain some familiarity. This is a common practice with tropical flavors. Although kids typically like the concept of tropicals, they aren't really exposed to authentic tropical notes, because they aren't going to like something that's real sulfury, according to Bill Swanhart, group leader of beverage applications at IFF. Giampetro, however, feels there's a bit of a downside to this practice. "There's not enough exposure of new flavors. The exposure is masked or dwarfed by other, more familiar flavors. But new flavors are part of expanding a kid's horizon," he says.

  Kids are also often lured to new flavors with a creative name, which is the other common convention used to introduce new flavors. Any drink called "Pokémon™ Punch" would surely draw a crowd of children these days.

  Flavor companies actually work with kid panels to develop beverage flavor concepts. In doing so, they have to consider the "gatekeeper" or parent who plays an active role in the purchase decision, says Wheeler. While many companies bring kids into their taste-panel and conference rooms, some use external market-research tools to gather information. Wheeler explains that a population of kids may be screened for trendsetters (i.e., those kids that are leaders and most active in school and extracurricular activities) in an attempt to determine what kids find "cool."

  In-house consumer-research testing is conducted in a variety of ways. IFF has a group of kids called the CreatIFF Kids™. This group uses creative problem-solving techniques and ideation sessions to develop new concepts or improve upon existing ones, explains Smith. Prototypes can then be developed in the lab, and then quantitatively or qualitatively tested with kids for acceptance. Questions relating to the product should be specific, simple and few in number. "Focus on how much they like something, because that is really all they are able to tell you at the younger ages," Smith says.

  "David Michael & Co. uses research-guidance testing which employs the JAR (just about right) method, sometimes referred to as the Goldilocks scale," says Crouch. "Using this method, existing products are taste-tested and feedback is gathered. Based on this, prototypes are developed that vary in sweetness, acidity, flavor type and flavor level. These prototypes are reworked until the needed consensus is reached, or the product is deemed 'just about right.'" Whatever the method used, King stresses involving kids from the start in brainstorming ideas. Then once the prototype is developed, go back to the kids and validate the information.

  According to Tim Shaffrey, business development manager for the beverage industry at McCormick Flavors, "the biggest challenge that a flavor supplier faces is trying to develop the preferred flavor over the competition. Image testing is difficult to do at the supplier level, because you don't know the name of the product or how the product will be marketed or advertised, and oftentimes you are not provided with the base."

  Flavor suppliers are faced with many other challenges beyond developing kid-friendly flavors for drinks. Other difficulties include overcoming the detrimental effects of processing and ensuring that the flavor is at its optimum when the beverage reaches the shelf. In addition, parameters such as water- and milk-flavor quality must be monitored to ensure finished-product quality, notes George Ennis, assistant vice president, chief flavor chemist at David Michael. He points out that it's challenging to "deliver non-flavoring components to a beverage in one complete homogeneous flavored system."

  Off-flavors arising from fortification ingredients or from packaging material can also cause problems. In particular, flavor can leach from a beverage into a plastic novelty-type package, as well as package materials leaching into the flavor, says Swanhart.

  During manufacturing, a flavor compound is first incorporated into a syrup that is diluted with water. A beverage that contains citrus oils first requires an emulsion. To make a beverage emulsion, according to MacFadden, concentrated flavors in the form of an oil blend are added to the oil phase with a weighting agent (i.e., ester gum labeled as "glycerol ester of wood rosin"), plus other ingredients such as an antioxidant. The pH is then adjusted to below 4.0. A calculation based on the Brix of the finished beverage determines the amount of weighting agent needed to equalize the specific gravity of the oil and water phases. An emulsifier is hydrated in the water phase with the acidulant, preservative (if used) and color.

  After hydration, the two phases are blended together without incorporating too much air. The pre-emulsion mixture is passed through a two-stage homogenizer where the first stage pressure is set at, for example, 3500 psi and the second stage is set at 500 psi. The mixture is then allowed to relax. Next, it passes a second time through the two-stage homogenizer, producing the finished emulsion. Then the emulsion is added to the bottling-syrup formula that contains sugar, preservatives and possibly other ingredients such as caffeine or ascorbic acid. The syrup is mixed with carbonated water at a specific ratio such as one part syrup to five parts carbonated water, although this ratio can vary, and then it is bottled.

  According to Swanhart, emulsions have more than one function. First, they keep the oil and water phase in solution - if the oil phase separates out of the emulsion and settles on the surface of the beverage, ringing results. Secondly, emulsions also give beverages a cloudy appearance, and keep particles suspended throughout the drink. The clouding effect gives the impression that the drink contains juice and has some body.

  Flavor usage varies depending on the predicted volatile chemical loss during processing. Flavor levels will be slightly higher in still beverages than carbonated beverages, because carbonic acid from the carbonation process creates an enhancer effect, so you can get away with using a little less in such products, notes Swanhart.

  If the beverage is processed with heat, either via HTST or UHT processing, artificial or N&A flavors are better able to withstand temperature abuse than natural flavors. High-temperature processing can also cause browning reactions. Although flavors will stabilize after processing, they can slowly drift in a negative direction once the product goes into storage if exposed to high temperatures, says Swanhart. This is especially true with juices. He suggests using a flavor, such as strawberry, that has inherent brown notes, otherwise it may be necessary to adjust around the detrimental affects of heat abuse. Cold-fill processing is gentler on the flavor system, but necessitates the use of preservatives.

  Imagine drinking a black-colored beverage. Is that difficult? That's because we're adults. Kids, on the other hand, find exotic colors interesting. New and unusual colored drinks find their way into the market everyday - bright, vibrant shades of blues and greens, for example. Kids especially like products that turn their mouths blue. Byron Madkins, manager, applications development, color service laboratory for Warner-Jenkinson Co., Inc., St. Louis, predicts a future full of products even more bizarre than what's currently out there. Some possibilities include interactive-type products and flavored beverages that are colored differently than might be expected.

  Designers have quite a palette to choose from when coloring beverages. Although the terms "natural" and "artificial" are frequently used in the industry, according to the FDA, colors are categorized as either certified ("artificial") or exempt from certification ("natural"). (For more information on colors and labeling issues, see "Colors Au Natural" in the March 1998 issue of Food Product Design.) The so-called natural colors come from a variety of sources including fruit and vegetable juices such as red cabbage, black carrot, elderberry juice and grapes (all of which contain anthocyanin pigments); the insect coccus Cacti L (produces carminic acid pigment for cochineal extract and carmine); and other plant sources that contain carotenoids. Red to berry shades are derived from anthocyanin pigments, cochineal extract and carmine, while tropical yellow to orange-punch shades come from carotenoids such as beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, and apo-carotenal. Another of the "naturals," caramel color, frequently colors cola beverages.

  "Nature and the FDA limit the natural blue and green shades available for food scientists and beverage formulators," says Penny Huck, associate director, technical service at Warner-Jenkinson. Chlorophyll, which is abundant in nature, is only allowed in drugs and cosmetics that are dentrifices. Any other green plant source would have to meet the FDA specifications outlined in Title 21, parts 73.250 and 73.260 of the Code of Federal Regulations, but anything currently available is either insufficiently concentrated or too flavorful. Blues and purples are difficult to achieve with natural colorants. Although carmine lake pigment displays a purple shade, it is insoluble in water. Anthocyanins turn shades of blue at a pH above 3.8, but then become unstable - even the anthocyanin pigments in blueberry juice turn a magenta-red color when added to an acidic medium.

  Artificial colorants enable the formulator to achieve shades of blue, green, purple, yellow, orange, red, brown and black, thereby providing greater flexibility. While FD&C Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40 and Red 3 are approved for foods and beverages, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Red 40 are most commonly used in beverage applications. Madkins suggests combining natural and synthetic colors for even greater flexibility than from the use of synthetics alone. "For example, a combination of FD&C Blue 1 with cochineal can provide very nice, vibrant purple and lavender colors that simply cannot be achieved with FD&C Blue 1 and Red 40," he says.

  Certain ingredients can negatively impact the stability of both natural and artificial colorants. Ascorbic acid, added to drinks as a source of vitamin C or as an oxygen scavenger, decolorizes anthocyanin pigments and causes color fading among the group of azo dyes, including FD&C Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Red 40. In company literature, Warner-Jenkinson offers a few suggestions to avoid color degradation by ascorbic acid: bottle the product quickly, minimize sunlight exposure, minimize the head space to allow a reduction in the amount of ascorbic acid required per bottle if used as an oxygen scavenger, or use glucose oxidase-catalase as an oxygen scavenger in place of ascorbic acid.

  Trace metals and ions found in hard water, microorganisms inherent in dairy-based products, and oxidizing and reducing agents can cause color degradation. Huck points out that anthocyanins are more stable in the less commonly used sucrose-based sweetener systems than in fructose beverage systems.

  Although color fading is less of a concern in carbonated beverages than in still beverages, soluble dyes can act as depolarizers to acids and carbon dioxide in cans, which can lead to corrosion. This can be avoided by limiting the concentration of azo dyes to 50 ppm or less. Adding fruit juice can minimize the risk of fading in still beverages.

  Carotenoids and the synthetic colors most commonly used in beverages have good stability over a wide pH range, although anthocyanins require a pH of 3.8 or less. According to Huck, natural colorants perform best in glass wrapped with plastic that is nearly light impermeable; she cautions that plastic alone permits oxygen permeation that could result in color degradation.

  Providing kids with good nutrition might be the key to conquering some of the chronic diseases that plague our society. While it is well known that milk is a good source of calcium, Eileen T. Kennedy, Deputy Under Secretary of the USDA, reports "a dramatic decline in milk consumption, particularly among children and teens." Children should consume 800 mg of calcium per day between the ages of 4 and 8, which can be obtained by drinking roughly three glasses of milk. On the other hand, at 1,300 mg per day, older children require significantly more calcium, which equates to four glasses of milk. Since milk is already a rich source of calcium, and is fortified with vitamins A and D, dairy processors need to ask themselves whether they want to intensify fortification of existing milk nutrients, or provide additional ingredients that aren't naturally associated with milk. Some companies are already adding vitamin C to their products, notes Oriatti.

  Manufacturers of juice and juice drinks have caught on to the fact that kids lack their required daily supply of nutrients. As a result, calcium fortification is becoming as prevalent as vitamin C fortification. "I can't get my kids to drink milk," says Giampetro, "so I need to get them calcium anyway I can, and there are juice products in the market that are not only 100% juice, but fortified with calcium as well." Calcium fortification is typically targeted at 10% RDI to maintain taste, says Wheeler, because "people don't want to sacrifice taste to fortification."

  According to Simone Bouman, market development specialist, PURAC America, Inc., Lincolnshire, IL, some companies target calcium at a level of 30% to 35% RDI per serving, because this is equivalent to the level of calcium found per serving of milk. Children don't necessarily need to get 100% of the RDI from beverages, notes Chaudhari, because other foods containing calcium are consumed throughout the day.

  Forms of calcium include calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, dicalcium phosphate, a combination of tricalcium phosphate and calcium carbonate, calcium citrate and calcium citrate malate, which is the most soluble form in orange juice. When choosing a source of calcium, Bouman recommends looking at flavor solubility and bioavailability. "Calcium lactate is a very good source to use in beverages because it is highly bioavailable and soluble, the dissolution rate is very high, and it hardly influences the flavor of the beverage compared to other calcium sources," she says. Chaudhari adds absorption to these selection criteria. The three go hand in hand, he says. "If you have a more soluble form, it will be absorbed, and at the same time once it is absorbed, it will be more bioavailable." He notes that calcium lactate and calcium citrate are commonly used in kids' beverages because they function well in acidic environments. Dicalcium or tricalcium phosphate can be used at a pH at or below 3.0, but these are only moderately soluble at a neutral pH, which would give a chalky mouthfeel.

  Bioavailability of calcium is affected by non-dietary as well as dietary factors. Non-dietary factors include age, gender, the presence of certain diseases and specific medications, among others. Vitamin D is significant to calcium absorption, and can be obtained from milk or minimal exposure to sunlight (about 10 to 15 minutes of semi-exposure). Caffeine's effect on absorption is negligible. To make better use of calcium, a person must consume the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorous, which is 1.2:1, says Chaudhari. "The recommended daily allowances are normally based on an absorption of 30% to 35%," says Bouman.

  In addition to fortifying with vitamin C and calcium, Chaudhari suggests other possibilities for children's drinks, such as antioxidants, B-complex vitamins, perhaps a small amount of vitamin D, copper, zinc, iron, manganese and phosphorous. Beta-carotene is an antioxidant, as is vitamin E. "Since beverages contain some source of carbohydrate, or simple carbohydrate, or even sugar for example, I think it is not a bad idea to have some B-complexes, because those are energy boosters," says Chaudhari.

  Sports drinks contain electrolytes such as sodium, chloride and potassium that enable the body to retain fluids and replenish mineral loss during exertion. They also contain carbohydrates, which replace glycogen spent during exercise. Carbohydrates in the 6% to 8% range allow the drink to be absorbed 30% faster then water. Higher concentrations may actually slow absorption rates. Additional nutrients such as antioxidants and B-complex vitamins can be added to sports drinks to make them even better, suggests Chaudhari, but too heavy of a nutrient load may contribute unpleasant flavors too difficult to mask.

  Temperature, pH, oxygen level and finished-product composition affect stability of vitamins and minerals. Although solubility and bioavailability actually increase with higher temperatures, discoloration can occur. Adding vitamins and minerals at different stages throughout the process can minimize discoloration and/or chemical reactions. Calcium can interact with ingredients such as citric acid, tartaric acid, proteins and tannins, precipitating out of solution when such ingredients are present. "In dairy-based products or products with a lot of proteins, you might think of a pH adjustment, or the use of complexing agents, like sequestrants," notes Bouman.

  If you study the labels on some favorite kid drinks, you might notice several other significant ingredients. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and/or sugar are typically found fairly high up on the list of ingredients. The most common HFCS forms for beverages are HFCS 42 and HFCS 55. The former sweetener contains 42% fructose and is evaporated to 71% solids, and the latter contains 55% fructose at a solids level of 77%. Usage is based on a calculated equivalence with granulated sugar. HFCS 55, which provides more sweetening power, is generally used in cola beverages that contain phosphoric acid. This acid is harsher than other commonly used organic acids such as malic, citric or lactic acids found in non-cola type beverages, and the increased sweetness helps make it more palatable.

  Fruit-juice concentrates not only flavor beverages, but sweeten them as well. Fruits, particularly tropical, are also a good source of vitamins and minerals. Mangoes supply 4,800 I.U. of vitamin A, in comparison to 200 I.U. from oranges and 40 I.U. from apples. In addition, guavas are an excellent source of vitamin C at 242 mg, compared to oranges at 50 mg. Manufacturers may use either frozen or aseptically processed tropical fruit juices, purees and concentrates. "Processors of finished fruit beverages may prefer frozen over aseptic to minimize the amount of processing the product undergoes," says Giampetro. The process varies depending upon the fruit type. For example, passionfruit is squeezed, because it has seeds in its pulp sacks, while mangoes are hand-peeled and pureed. Since there are literally hundreds of varieties of mangoes, different types can be used depending on the processor's specifications.

  Some juice processes require enzymes for a variety of functions including depectinization, clarification, debittering, improving clarity or filtration, reducing viscosity or increasing yield. Guava processing uses enzymes to prevent the concentrate from thickening to the point where it will burn on during heating. "The end result is a grit-free product, where the size of the stone cells is reduced," says Giampetro. In domestic fruit-juice processing, enzymes such as cellulase, which breaks down cell walls, and pectinase, which breaks down pectin, increase juice yield.

  Gum acacia and/or a blend of gum and modified food starch provides high stability to an oil-in-water flavor emulsion. These types of stabilizer systems also help suspend solids such as pulp, as well as enhance mouthfeel. Pectin also contributes to mouthfeel and texture because it forms a gel in the presence of sugar and acids when in solution.

  Some beverages contain preservatives in the form of sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate. These should be added to the beverage prior to acidification to prevent precipitation. Rosemary extract, a natural ingredient with antioxidant properties, is used as a "label-friendly" preservative. According to Mimi Sherlock, director of creativity and learning for IFF, focus groups done with mothers indicate that preservatives should be avoided for drinks targeted for younger kids.

  Skim milk and cream added to juice drinks add both opacity and flavor. Although the isoelectric point for casein occurs at a pH of 4.6, ingredients such as certain hydrocolloids and pectin will complex with casein to keep it in solution. Whey-protein concentrates are soluble over a wider pH range than other milk-based proteins, and can be added to acidic drinks for protein fortification. Solubility of whey proteins is adversely affected by heat, which causes protein denaturation.

  Whatever the ingredients used, keep in mind the factors that appeal to kids, and don't forget to keep their parents happy too. Bright and unusual colors, "fun" packaging, convenience, nutrition, price and, most importantly, flavor drive sales. Consider my one-person survey (not statistically significant) with a certain 12-year old named Ian. According to the survey results, the next wave of drinks could be a yellow-colored strawberry-banana drink, a green colored lime-peach variety and a red tropical beverage - all with fizz please. Beverage manufacturers might also want to consider adding in that "gross factor" that kids are so fond of. Look at "Mad Dog Super Spew Bubble Chew," which causes foaming of the mouth as the gum is chewed. Now, can you beverage manufacturers compete with that?