JavaFit in the News

Jan 20, 2009 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- The natural sweetener stevia has gained much attention in recent weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration approved the sweetener for use in foodstuffs. Following the approval, a number of manufacturers have introduced new stevia products, including Coca Cola and PepsiCo. As a result, the product can be expected to gain further exposure in 2009.
PepsiCo has launched the SoBe Lifewater Vitamin Enhanced Water beverage, a new line of soft drinks which contains an extract of the stevia leaf called PureVia, in the US. The extract is said to provide a sweet taste but without the calories of sugar, and is promoted on the fact that it is a natural product, unlike other available sugar substitutes. Now that stevia has official approval, PepsiCo is likely to include it in a rising number of new products.
PepsiCo rival Coca Cola has also released a new drink that contains an extract of stevia leaf in the US. Sprite Green Naturally Sweetened Soda contains a stevia leaf extract called Truvia. However, while the new SoBe line is said to contain no calories, Sprite Green is said to contain 50 calories per 8.5-ounce serving which, according to the company, is 50% fewer calories than regular soda.
Staying with the health theme, Javalution Coffee has launched the JavaFit Ready to Drink Latte, a line of functional, ready-to-drink coffee beverages, in the US. The line includes Diet Plus, Extreme, Focus and Immune varieties, which each claim to have a functional benefit. The Diet Plus variety, for example, is described as a lower calorie, lower fat, high powered blend that can help to suppress the appetite and support weight loss programs. Such products could help to reposition coffee, reversing its somewhat negative image to present it as a healthier beverage.
Meanwhile, Rubyy has launched an energy drink in the US under its company name. This is a premium style of energy drink that is presented in a distinctive black aluminum bottle. The drink is available in an orange flavor which contains the juice of various orange varieties including blood oranges, tangerines and Valencia oranges. The company claims that this provides the beverage with a superior taste. The energy drinks market is currently saturated with products, but this high-end launch could stand out from the crowd.
Over in Europe, more specifically Spain, Finland, Portugal, France, Italy, and Norway, PepsiCo is capitalizing on the popularity of mojito beverages with the launch of Pepsi Mojito. The mojito is a blend of mint and lime which has traditionally been used in alcoholic drinks. This version pairs lime and mint in a cola, in both diet and non-diet varieties, showing that the mojito flavor is moving into the soft drinks market.
Finally, a recent Japanese launch claims to feature a new type of super carrot. Ito En has introduced Ito En Kokusan 100 Yasai, a vegetable juice drink that is made with 12 types of selected vegetables. However, helping it to stand out from the crowd is the fact that the "connoisseur" carrots used in the drink are said to contain 1.5 times as much beta-carotene as normal carrots. The carrots are processed through the Natural Sweet Method, which is said to enhance the sweetness of carrots without using sugar or salt. This new drink appears to be a first in the juice market.
http://www.datamonitor.com

Men more responsive to caffeine

A strong cup of coffee has a greater effect on men than women, research shows.
In a study on 668 healthy volunteers, an espresso pepped up men after just 10 minutes. Women also became more alert after the beverage, but less so.
The University of Barcelona researchers say some of this effect might be psychological because decaffeinated coffee also worked to some extent.
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry reports the work.
The volunteers were asked to drink either a classic espresso containing 100mg of caffeine or a decaffeinated espresso containing 5mg of caffeine.
Then the researchers looked for changes in alertness over the following minutes and hours.
Both men and women saw an improvement in their activity levels after drinking the classic espresso and these effects began after as little as 10 minutes.
Arousing
According to the investigators, 45 minutes is the time needed for maximum caffeine concentration to be reached in the blood, but levels reach half this concentration after just a few minutes.
And the effect appeared to be greater in the men.
The decaf coffee had a similar, but weaker effect and tended to be more potent in the women rather than in the men.
Lead researcher Ana Adan said: "Numerous studies have demonstrated the stimulant effects of caffeine, but none of these have looked at their effects in terms of the consumer's gender."
Anna Denny of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "This study provides an interesting insight into how the effects of specific foods and nutrients may differ between men and women.
"Research into 'gene-nutrient' interactions is moving forward quickly and we are finding out more about how our genetic make-up affects our requirements for certain foods and nutrients, and how our bodies react to these. In the future this could allow scientists to formulate dietary recommendations based on our genetic make up, as well as our age and body size."

Coffee With Benefits

Its no surprise that America loves coffee.

A recent trend is to add benefits to coffee, including soy protein, guarana, garcinia cambogia, matcha green tea, white willow, yerba mate and echinacea in order to boost metabolism or energy, improve the immune system or increase mental focus.

The LA Times put 4 infused, pre-ground coffees to a taste test and were surprised at how much they tasted like regular pre-ground coffee.

Here’s what we found:

• Spava: Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans, fortified with green tea (20 milligrams per 6-ounce serving) and guarana extract (15 milligrams per 6 ounces). The coffee purports to stimulate metabolism and burn fat. Tastes more acidic, bolder, stronger and earthier than the other coffees tested, with a slightly grassy undertone.

• Kosmo Protein Coffee: Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans roasted with organic whole soy beans. The soy adds 2 grams of protein per 6-ounce serving. Low in acid, the coffee contains half the caffeine of regular coffee, due to the diluting effects of soy beans. This was the smoothest and mildest of the coffees.

• JavaFit Energy Plus: Arabica beans with garcinia cambogia, green tea extract, niacin and extra caffeine (150 milligrams extra per serving). The aroma was strong, almost pungent. The flavor was very robust, and almost bitter at first, but the bitterness mellowed after a few sips.

• Fusion, Diet FX: Organically grown (fair trade) arabica beans, fortified with hoodia, green tea and yerba matte. Amounts of the added ingredients are not included in the packaging. Noteably smooth and non-acidic, with a nice aroma. Tastes surprisingly similar to upper end, generic coffee served on airplanes.