Functional and Medicinal Beverages

Volume 11: The Science of Beverages

Alexandru Grumezescu, Alina Maria Holban

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780128163979
• eBook ISBN: 9780128172636
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Food Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Functional and Medicinal Beverages, Volume Eleven, in the Science of Beverages series, discusses one of the fastest growing sectors in the food industry. As the need for research and development increases based on consumer demand, the information in this volume is essential. This reference includes the latest research trends, nutritive and medicinal ingredients, and analytical techniques to identify health beneficial elements. The contents of the book will bring readers up-to-date on the field, thus making it useful for researchers and graduate students in various fields across the food sciences and technology.- Highlights new concepts, innovative technologies and current concerns in the functional beverages field- Covers detailed information on the engineering and processing of novel ingredients for health benefits- Includes common and alternative ingredients for juices, vegetable blends, milk-based drinks, and probiotic and prebiotic based alternative beverages

1

An Overview of Functional Beverages

Irene Dini Pharmacy Department, "Federico II" University, Naples, Italy

Abstract

Functional and medicinal beverages are products which claim a health benefit, such as improved immune system, mental alertness, heart performance, etc. They have been made to meet the growing demand for “healthy” food as they are able to prevent diseases and are convenient products. These beverages make available nutrients or other substances—such as flavonoids, specific amino acids, antioxidants, or phytonutrients into convenient ready-to-consume drinks. The distribution of functional beverages throughout the market has the unclear distinction between pharma and nutrition. Principal functional beverage products are: yogurt drinks (pre-o-probiotics fortified drinks), functional milk (extra calcium, omega-3, and vitamin fortified drinks), juices (vitamins and omega-3 fortified drinks), functional waters (vitamin and mineralfortified drinks, sports and energy drinks, herbal drinks, and health and wellness drinks). The goals of this chapter are to treat the various applications of health and wellness drinks in the health food industry such as food intolerance, organic fortified/functional, better for you, and naturally healthy drinks.

Keywords

Functional beverages; Medicinal beverages; Health benefit; Flavonoids; Amino acids; Antioxidants; Phytonutrients; Drinks

1.1 Introduction

Today, taste alone is not enough to satisfy consumers, who are looking for high-quality beverages dense in nutrients, therefore nonalcoholic beverage companies have been converging on low- or no-calorie drinks and put emphasis on organic ingredients in nonalcoholic beverage. Functional beverages are an important segment of functional food products since they permit to include desirable nutrients and bioactive compounds in order to preserve human hydration and to have antiaging, energy supplying, relaxing, or beauty-enhancing effects (Table 1.1) (Corbo et al., 2014). Cinnamon extracts in soft drinks to tackle diabetes or omega-3 s for heart health until ‘beauty beverages’ with collagen, reunited the consumers’ demand for good taste and ingredients that are good for physical fitness and mental well-being. The nanotechnology has made possible to fortify delicate bases, such as water, with whey protein and minerals, causing a minimal effect on the overall taste and mouthfeel.

Table 1.1

Functional Beverages

Functional Drink	Ingredients
Energy drink	Taurine, caffeine, and herbal extract such as ginseng, guarana, yerba mate, and green tea extracts
Drink and relax	Amino acids (GABA or l-theanine) and lemon balm
Fortified bottled water	Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and in some cases, fatty acid ingredients in water
Proteins for muscles and well aging	Protein-enriched drinks beyond weight trainers. Most popular drinks with whey protein isolates, collagen proteins, MCT, etc.
Simply natural	Coconut water. It is the perfect sports drink providing you with all the minerals and vitamins you need after your exercise
Vitamin premixes	Are very popular to use vitamin blends that contains not only vitamins, but such functional ingredients as Lutein, Omega 3, goji extract, ginseng, etc.
Sweeteners	Sugar reduced products or naturally sweetened (Stevia, Monk fruit extract or so-called Lo-han, grape juice concentrate, Xylitol, or agave)
Fibers	Soluble dietary fibers (pectin, inulin, gums, and mucilages) Insoluble dietary fibers (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin-noncarbohydrate compounds)
Juice concentrates	Goji juice concentrate, acerola, pomegranate
Herbal extracts	Most trendy are those with a Brazilian origin. Acai, maca, camu camu, or Yerba mate and artichoke extracts

1.2 Functional Beverage Segment

1.2.1 Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are the main segment in functional beverages followed by sports drinks and nutraceutical drinks. They are a group of beverages used by consumers, especially young people who commonly mix energy drinks with alcohol, to provide an extra boost in energy, a cognitive enhancement, to reverse fatigue effects, to maintain alertness, and for endurance. Generally, energy drinks contain caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, sugar, B vitamins, and herbal extracts (ginseng, guarana, yerba mate, and green tea extracts), therefore the habitual consumption may enhance:

• ✓ the risk for caffeine overdose in caffeine abstainers as well as habitual consumers of caffeine from coffee, soft drinks, and tea;
• ✓ the rate of alcohol-related injury in the case of combined use of caffeine and alcohol; and
• ✓ alcohol, nicotine, and another drug dependence (Table 1.2) (Abdulrahman, 2015).
  Table 1.2

  Adverse Effect due to Consumption of High Levels of Caffeine

  Susceptible Individuals	Effects
  Everyone consume energy drink	Reduce sleepiness Sexual assault and driving while intoxicated (mixing energy drinks) Underestimate true level of impairment (mixing energy drinks with alcohol) Cardiovascular problems
  Pregnant women	Miscarriages, stillbirths, and small for gestational-age infants
  Adolescents	Elevated blood pressure, anxiety/nervousness, hyperactive behavior, and sleep disturbances

1.2.2 Sports Drinks

Sports drinks are flavored beverages that are formulated to help people to rehydrate during or after exercise. They are designed to block dehydration and a depletion of the body’s carbohydrate stores. They promote voluntary fluid intake, the emptying of the drink from the stomach, and the quick absorption into the intestine. Sports drinks are developed using essential minerals like sodium, potassium chloride, calcium, pHosphate, and magnesium, which are lost by sweating during exercise; amino acids are able to slow fatigue and improve muscle function; B vitamins are used to boost metabolism and generate energy; simple carbohydrates are able to obtain a quick energy burst and complex carbohydrates employed for replenishing energy reserves during and after exercise. There are three main types of sports drinks, according to their osmolality:

• • Isotonic drinks
  They contain similar concentrations of salt (46–69 mg/100 mL) and sugar (6–8 g/100 mL) as in the human body. Sodium in the beverage determines the retention of the ingested fluids, stimulate thirst and increase voluntary fluid intake. It can be taken during middle and long-distance running or in team sports, where both the dehydration and the depletion of carbohydrate stores may limit performance.
• • Hypertonic drinks
  They contain a higher concentration of sugar (≥ 10 g/100 mL) than the human body and generally do not contain electrolytes. Hypertonic sports drinks should not be used to maintain hydration as the large amount of carbohydrate is known to slow the gastric emptying and the time for the drink to be absorbed in the intestine. They can be taken post-workout to top-up muscle glycogen stores and on ultra-distance.
• • Hypotonic drinks
  They contain a lower concentration of salt (< 50 mg) and sugar (2–4 g/100 mL) than the human body. They provide hydration, principally by increasing an individual’s voluntary fluid intake. Hypotonic drinks are taken by gymnasts who require fluid without a carbohydrate boost or playing sports (football) that is &...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Series Preface
• Preface
• 1: An Overview of Functional Beverages
• 2: The Emerging Trends in Functional and Medicinal Beverage Research and Its Health Implication
• 3: Herbal Extracts—New Trends in Functional and Medicinal Beverages
• 4: Bioactive Compounds Incorporated Into Functional Beverages
• 5: Effects and Mechanisms of Antioxidant-Rich Functional Beverages on Disease Prevention
• 6: Anticancer Potential of Functional and Medicinal Beverages
• 7: Medicinal Properties and Functional Components of Beverages
• 8: Development of Functional Beverages: The Case of Plant Sterol-Enriched Milk-Based Fruit Beverages
• 9: Herbal Beverages and Brain Function in Health and Disease
• 10: Functional Beverages from Cereals
• 11: Oak Leaves as a New Potential Source for Functional Beverages: Their Antioxidant Capacity and Monomer Flavonoid Composition
• 12: Kombucha as a Functional Beverage
• 13: Probiotic and Prebiotic Beverages
• 14: Probiotics Beverages: An Alternative Treatment for Metabolic Syndrome
• 15: A New Generation of Probiotic Functional Beverages Using Bioactive Compounds From Agro-Industrial Waste
• Index