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OSF Flavors has launched a dedicated flavour solution for prebiotic and other functional sodas, designed to address bitterness, lingering sweetener aftertaste and off-notes typically associated with fibre-enriched, botanical formulations.
The US-based flavour house developed the solution due to the ‘sensory baggage’ that can come with using prebiotic fibres, plant extracts and high-intensity sweeteners in formulations.
Fibre can contribute bitterness, while stevia and other sweeteners can result in a lingering, ‘over-sweet’ finish, OSF noted. Additionally, commonly used botanicals such as guarana and ginseng can introduce earthy or medicinal off-notes, while flavours used to cover them up can result in unbalanced taste profiles.
OSF pointed out that product developers often treat masking, sweetening and flavouring as three separate problems, only to find that fixing one disturbs the other two – all while working against an expiring retail reset date.
With this in mind, its new solution is designed as a single, coherent pack built from three components to address these challenges in an integrated manner.
A masking system to neutralise the bitterness of fibres and reduce off-notes from botanical actives for a clean, refreshing base
A sweetness enhancer optimised for zero- and low-sugar formulations, calibrated to follow the sweetness curve of sugar with no aftertaste
A range of flavours developed specifically for functional beverages, designed to pair with botanical extracts rather than working against them
To demonstrate performance in real conditions, OSF formulated three prototypes, each containing 2% acacia fibre and one targeted functional ingredient, and each built for low-sugar or zero-sugar formulations.
The prototypes included a functional cola drink with guarana, warm spices and citrus zest; a fruity energy drink with acerola, featuring tropical flavours and a touch of candy-flavoured sweetness; and a lime, mint and cucumber botanical drink with ginseng, featuring a refreshing flavour profile for premium, wellness-focused positioning.
OSF said all three concepts demonstrated optimised sweetness perception, no bitterness, no aftertaste and a base flavour profile that stayed exactly the same as formulated once fibre and actives were added.
Pierre Battu, managing director for Asia at OSF Flavors, said: “For product developers, the practical benefit of this solution is speed and predictability. A validated flavour, masking and sweetening system removes the longest and least predictable part of the development cycle, which frees bench time for the decisions that differentiate a brand: fibre level, active dosage, acidity and packaging.”
He added that the prototypes are available on request as reference formulations, while OSF’s team can adapt the pack to a manufacturer’s own fibre source, functional ingredient, sweetener system and label strategy, including clean-label positioning.
