The flavored functional water is the brainchild of Ontario-based firm NutriBev Corporation, led by Hameed Amirzada, and is due to hit the market in the US and Canada by the end of this year or early 2014.
Amirzada’s friend Pencer helped develop the drink – the name is currently a secret - which will contain more potassium than a banana, 1000 IUs of Vitamin D, a minimum 40mg of Omega 3 DHA and EPA and B Vitamins.
Speaking with BeverageDaily.com last night, Pencer, who now consults to the beverage industry, says: “My grandfather Harry Pencer started Cott Beverages in Montreal. So when I was a young kid I used to work for him, go into the stores in summertime, with samples of Cott Cola.
“My grandfather was an innovator – always one step ahead of his time. I remember in the 1960s he came out with one of the first diet drinks – Diet Cott Cola, and he also had an energy drink,” he adds.
Potential for kids’ beverages
Pencer says he sees a huge gap in the beverage market – not just for Omegas but for Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) shots and alternative good-for-you beverages generally.
“I think there’s potential for children’s beverages in this market – it’s really being neglected, especially for 6-12 year-olds,” Pencer says. “After soccer games kids really just drinking sugar and water – why can’t they drink something with flavor that’s good for them?"
NutriBev worked with Californian biotech firm VIRUN on the formulation, while WILD Flavors also helped develop the flavour and sweetness profile for the drink aimed at post-workout hydration for healthy people, athletes, kids working out and playing soccer.
VIRUN CEO Philip Bromley tells us: “The formulation is a next generation hydration/fortified functional water beverage – minimum 800mg of potassium, whereas Gatorade has 50mg or something.
So it will allow hydration – it has more potassium than a banana, which is a really strong claim, it has a 1000 IUs of Vitamin D, minimum 40mg of EPA DHA, 100% DRI for B vitamins,” he adds.
A question of simple chemistry…
EPA/DHA had been shown to increase osmolarity, Bromley says, reducing the surface tension of water.
“So it works synergistically with electrolytes, to increase the rate at which you absorb water into the body. So it will further hydrate versus electrolytes on their own.
“For sports drinks I think one the best claims you can have with any type of oil is that these fatty acids reduce the surface tension, allow the water to absorb into tissue faster,” Bromley adds.
“You don’t need much research to make this claim – it’s just simple chemistry, not a health claim necessarily as per heart health or brain development. Osmolarity to help with hydration. I don’t see anyone in North America doing anything like that. Our technology [to add clear and shelf-stable oils] helps with that.”
Amirzada said the brand had a clear point of difference from Coke’s VitaminWater and insists the brand will target C-stores and grocery channels, including health food stores.
“LA is the trendsetter –so with omega 3 being new and unique, it makes sense for it to start there then spread to New York and Canada, which always follows what the US does,” he said.