Consumers prefer colorful beverages with bold, vibrant hues corresponding to the drink’s flavor. Sensient’s consumer research found that consumers like colorful beverages better than their colorless counterparts and are more likely to purchase them. Additionally, in taste testing analysis, consumer flavor perception increased an average +15% across categories when the color of the product itself aligns with the flavor.
Sensient Consumer Research 2017
Color is also used by consumers to visually identify flavors as they browse the shelves. Think of kids demanding that parents buy “the red one” versus “the blue one”. However, just 15% of flavored waters launched from 2020-2022 in APAC contained color (Mintel 2023). Brands that choose to use color in their products stand out on the shelf and in consumers’ minds.
Many flavored waters, like most ready-to-drink beverages, have a low pH. Natural color sources like anthocyanins perform exceptionally well in acidic environments, perfect for this application.
Depending on the processing conditions of a flavored water, there may be effects to consider for color solutions. For example, high shear processing can have a negative impact on emulsions.
For flavored waters with transparent packaging, light stability is an important feature. Color experts work closely with developers to select and stability test color solutions to stand up to harsh, constant store lighting.
Natural color ingredients may interact with other ingredients in a flavored water, such as flavors, juices, or acids. It is important to consider the full formula when selecting solutions to ensure compatibility.
For flavors like watermelon, grapefruit, or pomegranate, a variety of red and pink hues come from anthocyanins like fruit and vegetable juices. Sensient’s range of reds offers unique coral shades that remain stable across a wide pH range.
Carotenoids like beta carotenes and paprika bring flavors like tangerine, ginger, and blood orange to life. In order to stabilize these naturally oil-soluble solutions in flavored waters, Sensient’s Advanced Emulsion Technology (AET™) reduces particle size to avoid emulsion interactions or broken emulsions. Although turmeric imparts bold yellows, beta carotene is a much more light-stable solution. Trending flavors like lemonade, pear, and pineapple each benefit from a different shade of yellow.
Although turmeric imparts bold yellows, beta carotene is a much more light-stable solution. Trending flavors like lemonade, pear, and pineapple each benefit from a different shade of yellow.
Blues are among the most difficult hues to achieve in beverages due to the lack of blues in nature. Fortunately for flavors like blackberry, blueberry, and lavender, Sensient’s FDA-approved butterfly pea flower extract offers stable blue hues at pH 4.0 and above and stunning purple hues in more acidic environments.
Brown hues are perfect for flavors like honey, coffee, and cinnamon. While caramel is one of the most widely used colorants for its broad stability, many brands are looking for caramel-free browns for beverages. Sensient’s Sienna™ range offers stable clean label browns from tan to chocolate shades.
White flavored waters bring to mind flavors like coconut, white peach, or pina colada. The same solutions that create white visuals can also be used to impart cloud, which implies juice content to consumers. Sensient’s Avalanche™ Nebula offers a suspended, clouded appearance at a low usage rate in flavored and functional waters without titanium dioxide.
Formulation in the functional water space means additional considerations for developers. For example, added vitamins or minerals can affect pH levels which require the appropriate color ingredients to achieve stability. Ingredients like vitamin C or whey protein isolate are also notorious for making a product taste more sour and bitter. Sensient’s range of natural color and taste modification solutions will be of help in this area.
Functional ingredients often require collaboration with experts to identify and mitigate stability concerns within the formula. Sensient experts are well-equipped with years of experience to identify and tackle solutions alongside your team.
