Thursday, 17 June 2010

Flavoured Waters

The growth in demand for flavoured water (or flavored water if you are USA based) has been quite fantastic, the increased demand no doubt being in part due to the drive for a "healthier life style" and the mistrust that many have for tap water, that itself drove the demand for un-flavoured bottled water in the first place.

Flavoured Water - The Nutritional Facts

With the demand for that healthier lifestyle goes the increased interest in what we are actually eating and drinking, those "nutritional facts" on the labels of food and drink products being scrutinised as never before. However as you can imagine, without actually forcing something into the flavoured water that we drink, there is not a lot of anything much to report on. However the food labeling regulations make you place the details of what is in the drink on the labels and people expect to see it, even if they don't fully understand what it all means.

Typical Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

Typically, flavoured water will have something like this in the "Nutritional Information (per 100ml)" section.

Which just goes to prove whole little there is there to report on. However this is not a bad thing and has led to the Government including Flavoured Water in its suggestions for children's school lunch boxes, this in an attempt to draw them away from the fizzy sugary drinks that have caused problems in the past.

Flavoured Waters

Flavoured waters, or “near” waters as they’re sometimes called, are commonly based on spring water, intense sweeteners, citric acid, and preservatives. Not the most palatable combination of ingredients, I’m sure you’ll agree. Until you add the magic ingredient: the flavour. Flavours for near waters not only need to taste good but they need to be 90%+ derived from the named fruit (FTNF) to permit a declaration of (for example) “Natural Strawberry Flavour” and the depiction of the named fruit on the label. HoF’s carefully chosen suppliers offer us an exceptional raw materials palette from which we can select the natural aroma chemicals and natural extracts that enable us to create some truly outstanding near water flavours. These flavours can be tailored to specific sweetener systems, be it Aspartame/ Acesulfame K, Sucralose, or any other combination of natural and/or intense sweeteners.

Flavoured Water – A healthier choice

With the demand for a healthier lifestyle goes the increased interest in what we are actually eating and drinking. Consumers are increasingly making their food and beverage choices based on nutritional content and the nutritional information on the labels of food and drink products are being scrutinised as never before. Consumers are also more aware of the importance of water consumption as part of a healthy life-style. Keeping your body well hydrated boosts energy levels, helps flush toxins from your system, and helps keep your skin looking more youthful. Water, as opposed to traditional carbonated drinks, juices, coffee etc is calorie free and has no negative attributes, but let’s be totally honest, it can be a little boring. Flavoured waters offer all the benefits of pure water but with the added plus of tasting good, and with so many interesting and exciting flavour profiles available there’s something to please even the most jaded of palettes. Good taste, very low in calories and good for you, flavoured waters are an obvious choice for the health conscious consumer.

School Lunch Boxes Favour Flavoured Waters

The Food Standards Agency website is just one example of those sites providing advice on healthy eating, its "Month of Lunch Boxes" including many references to Flavoured Water . With all the potential market growing as fast as it is it is not surprising that many companies are always trying to create that new market beating flavoured water, and that is just where we at the House of Flavours can help.

Research and Development in Flavourings

Our Research and Development section can create the flavouring you require and our production teams can then produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your product to the market. So if you want to join the rush in the Flavored water market, talk to us, we know we can help.

Flavour Manufacturers

House of Flavours core business is to provide its' customers with the flavours they need, whether they be normal "run of the mill" food flavourings like lemon, lime, strawberry or more exotic ones like "Gojiberry" or "earth worm". As you would expect, Flavour is an extremely important component of food quality and plays a major role in shaping choice which makes the selection of your suppliers especially important. It is said that the creation and developing of flavours has always been something of an art and House of Flavours, with our unique understanding of the marketplace together with our systematic and structured approach to flavour creation, provides the very best service whether your requires are for natural, nature identical, suitable for Organic or indeed artificial flavourings.

So, what exactly are they, and why are they used?

Food flavourings are used to give flavour to foodstuffs that have no inherent “flavour” of their own, like flavoured water or sugar and gum based confectionary for example. They’re used to boost or enhance the naturally occurring flavour of a foodstuff when that flavour is weak or delicate, or when the natural flavour of a food is lost or changed during processing. They’re used to mask unwelcome “off” flavours coming from ingredients in a foodstuff, or formed during processing. Food flavourings take many physical forms, each one offering their own advantages in specific applications. Water soluble liquid flavours, Oil soluble liquid flavours, Emulsions, spray dried powder flavours, fat encapsulated powder flavours, dry blends, liquids plated onto powders. They can also be formulated to conform to differing legislative requirements : Natural extracts/ 100% FTNF, 90%+ FTNF, Natural, Nature Identical, Artificial. Typically flavours consist of natural extracts and essential oils and natural or nature identical aroma chemicals on a solvent or carrier system. Dosages for flavourings vary dependant on type of flavouring and its application, but typically fall in the range 0.05 to 0.50% Flavourings are cost effective, micro-biologically safe, easy to handle and offer many advantages over more “conventional” ingredients. If you’re unsure how flavourings can benefit your business, or would like some advice on the most appropriate flavouring for your application, contact HoF, for all your flavouring needs.

Food Flavourings

Where it is viable it is always of course best to use "natural" ingredients to flavour food, however it is not always possible to use these natural food flavourings, either because of the cost implications, for practical reasons or because such ingredients would just not last long enough. Hence the need for nature identical and artificial flavourings in the market place.

Natural or NI Flavours for Cheeses etc

At the House of Flavours we can produce flavours for just about any food that you need flavouring in the most cost effective and healthy way, our Research and Development section being able to create the flavouring you require. Then once we have found that "flavour" our production teams will produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your product to the market.

Artificial Flavours and Side Effects

The use of food additives today is another area that is the subject of much debate, some saying that they are alright, others doubting this. However the use of artificial flavourings in cosmetics, preservatives and processing aids (there are over 4,000 different additives, of which over 3,000 are used purely as cosmetics, with much lower numbers used as preservatives and processing aids) tells the story that this market place is a huge one. So what are the side effects if any? Research has showed that some flavourings may have an effect on some children, but the case is far from proven. However, we at the House of Flavours always ensure that we keep abreast of the latest research and news, which in turn relieves our customers of this responsibility.
Bread Improver and flavour enhancer Manufacturing

Bread improvers optimise all aspects of the bread making process, giving bakers the flexibility they need during all stages of the baking process: mixing, fermentation, baking and shelf life. House of Flavours range of Bread improvers and flavour enhancers (flour treatment agents) also help bakers to move the volume, crumb & crust and freshness of their breads to the next level of perfection

Did you know that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a major part of any bread improver as it strengthens the dough and help it rise., it also has a beneficial effect on the volume, crumb structure and softness of bread, this sort of knowledge enables us to provide you with the best possible ingredients.

At House of Flavours you can sure that your Bread Improver will be of the very highest quality.

Best Protein Drinks

The growth in demand for protein drinks, energy bars and probiotics, not to mention sports drinks (to replace those electrolytes you loose through sweating etc) seems to be one without end, the increased demand no doubt being in part due to the drive for a "healthier life style" and the pressure on many to take more exercise.

Pro-biotic's - Health Benefits

There is quite a debate on whether pro-biotic products actually do any good or not, the Food Standards Agency being amongst those running tests to see if the "good bacteria" (the basis of the pro-biotic idea is that it provides bacteria that the body needs to make the human gut function properly) actually can survive in the harsh conditions in the human gut. Their full report can be found online and if you want some unbiased information on the best probiotics it offers a good start.

Protein Drinks & Health Food Energy Bars

Here too questions as to the need for Protein Drinks and Energy Bars are being asked by many, the BBC itself having a line on the matter, the question they raise being "With the large range of protein drinks and supplements on the market, it's easy to believe protein plays an essential role in fueling your workouts. But how much do you really need?". As they say the debate has been raging for years and is unlikely to go away quickly, however the fact remains that the market place for protein drinks and health food "energy" bars is one that is growing, and one of the things that can make or break a product is just how tasty (while of course still being "healthy") it can be made.

Flavours in Protein Drinks & Energy Bars

This is just where we at the House of Flavours can help you, our Research and Development section being able to create the flavouring you require. Once we have found that "flavour" our production teams will then produce it in the quantities you need at the price that will enable you to take your poduct to the market. So if you want to join the rush in this "Health Food" market, talk to us, we know we can help.

Sports Drinks & Electrolytes

So why are all those sportsman so keen on replacing their electrolytes? quite simply because it seems that "Depletion of the body's carbohydrate stores and dehydration are two factors that will limit prolonged exercise" and if there is a race to be won then this is something that they will want to avoid. Sweating is of course the main way that you loose water during exercise, and the effect on the body is quite amazing as the table below shows:-

Besides this of course is the loss of the minerals such as chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, all of which are required for the body to work effectively, as without them the normal cellular activity cannot continue. it is said that a litre of sweat typically contains 0.02g Calcium, 0.05g Magnesium, 1.15g Sodium, 0.23g Potassium and 1.48g Chloride. This composition will of course vary from person to person, but in all cases these losses need replacing, hence the need for sports drinks containing these essential electrolytes.

Making the Drink Special is the Answer

Of course in a crowded market place the answer is to make sure that your offering is that little bit special, and here, as with protein drinks and health food bars, The House of Flavours can help you make your product a real winner in the taste stakes.