At the recent drinktec fair in Munich, the beverage ingredients giant was keen to demonstrate how it intends to meet these requirements.
Trendy fruits like pomegranate for example were used to offer new tastes, while functional additives like Omega-3 fatty acids, lutein and natural vitamins are designed to offer additional benefits to the positioning of health-based products in the lucrative lifestyle market.
Quality raw materials and new fruit-based sweeteners have also been developed for the premium product sector, while new low-calorie sweetening agents are increasingly being used to suit diet-conscious consumers.
"The new products we develop are based on global trends," said Peter Drewes, head of marketing with the DöhlerGroup.
"For example, consumer preference for naturalness, and an increasing level of awareness of health issues, calls for specific product innovations on our part."
Juices and snack-drinks
At the drinktec event, the DöhlerGroup presented new innovations in juice-based beverages such as its "red fruits with Omega-3 fatty acids" as well as snack drinks containing dietary fibres from oat, or proteins, nuts or fruit bits.
Other flavours include 'Apple, banana and rosehip with oat' and 'Multifruit with vegetable juice'.
New drinks for refreshment
The DöhlerGroup's combination of water with fruity juice or tea and functional ingredients is likewise targeted at the growing health sector. Exotic fruits such as passion fruit or pomegranate and value-enhancing additives such as herb flavours and spices can help target a product at the high end of the market.
In addition, fruit juices with soya, tea, milk or vegetables, with the addition of functional ingredients such as L-carnitine and vitamins, offers a wide variety of alternatives in terms of product and positioning, from low-calorie to free of refined sugars, from wellness to fitness.
Drinking yogurts
Drinking yogurts remain one of the most established sectors of the dairy-based beverage market. At drinktec the DöhlerGroup presented new calorie-reduced varieties of drinking yogurt involving innovative sweeteners and - through the combination of fruit with vegetables like tomato or pepper - offering new positioning options based on healthy life trends.
For instance, customers were offered the chance of trying a "Passion fruit and tomato" drinking yoghurt.
New Beverage Bases
The production of natural healthy beverages that taste good has been a major focus of the company's work. A wide range of flavours displayed at drinktec ranged from lemon and apple drinks to non-alcoholic drinks resembling beer and with a hop flavour, or non-alcoholic malt-based soft drinks with natural fruit flavours or tasting like cola.
One beverage presented at the trade fair for instance was "Maltola", a refreshing drink with a cola taste, made from a malt base fermented with lactic acid bacteria. The phosphoric acid of regular cola was completely replaced by the milder lactic acid associated with dairy products.
The DöhlerGroup is an international producer of fruit juice concentrates, fruit preparations, blends, compounds, ingredient systems, emulsions, flavours, and colours for the beverage, dairy and ice cream industries.