Collaboration partners Sinalco, Sweethouse and health-promoting ingredients expert Taiyo have launched their second beverage concept – a functional Energy 4.0 cola that is sugar-free and enriched with guar bean dietary fibers.
Classic soft drinks, colas and energy drinks are still popular. However, they all contain a lot of sugar (Energy 1.0) and caffeine (Energy 2.0) that stimulate the nervous system to produce more energy. Now that these two energy sources have lost their mass appeal, the sugar-sweetened soft drinks market is under threat.
Sunfiber Cola is sugar-free. Sweetened with the innovative ingredient, Qorus Dolce, from Sweethouse, Sunfiber Cola closely mimics the taste and mouthfeel of the sugar-sweetened original. It displays a natural, sugar-like profile with no aftertaste and allows for calorie-free pleasure without noticeably raising blood glucose levels. Secondly, Sunfiber Cola contains Taiyo’s 100% natural guar bean Sunfiber. This dietary fiber is absolutely tasteless, odorless and water soluble, and has no effect on the taste, mouthfeel or appearance of the end product.
Sunfiber Cola can both increase fiber uptake and reduce calorie intake — both of which are associated with a weight-reducing effect
Dietary fibre and energy
The dietary fiber in Sunfiber Cola is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine to provide a form of sugar-free slow-release energy. Broken down into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are absorbed by the mucosa and into the bloodstream, its Energy 4.0 effect is induced by activating AMPK (adenosine monophosphate kinase), which stimulates the production of ATP, the body’s main cellular energy molecule.
Normally, AMPK is activated during exercise or by fasting, which is why we feel energized after a workout or 2–3 days of not eating. Conversely, it’s inhibited by alcohol and its functionality decreases with age. However, AMPK can be activated by natural ingredients and nutrients such as green tea polyphenols, curcumin or dietary fibers. As such, a light meal that’s rich in dietary fiber may actually be more energizing than a high calorie dish with lots of sugar and fat. At the same time, Sunfiber also has a satiating, appetite-inhibiting effect and enhances digestion and the growth of good bacteria in the gut.
Today, considering that one in three adults worldwide is overweight (IHME, 2015) and more and more young people are struggling with obesity problems, Sunfiber Cola can both increase fiber uptake and reduce calorie intake — both of which are associated with a weight-reducing effect and were recently confirmed in a crossover study with 32 healthy volunteers.
Divided into three groups (no, Sunfiber-free or Sunfiber-containing beverages), participants were asked to consume two drinks per day between breakfast and lunch for two weeks with a washout phase between phases. Results showed that drinking Sunfiber-containing beverages significantly increased feelings of satiety and reduced the energy intake of the next meal by 70–100 calories.
Sunfiber Cola was presented for the first time at the 'Innovation in Non-Alcoholic Beverages Congress' event in London, UK, in September 2019. The product is commercially available at New drinks.com (www.new-drinks.com/sunfiber) and more beverage concepts with other health ingredients are already under preparation.
Meet the team at Fi Europe at Stand 6H110.
