Smooth Moves

Smooth Moves
August 1999 -- Design Elements

By: Ann Juttelstad
Associate Technical Editor

  In the world of smoothies, business is booming. What started out as a California street business is now accumulating $640 million worth of annual retail sales in the United States, according to Chino Hills, CA-based Juice Gallery's Juice & Smoothie Bar Industry Analysis report, June 1999. Moreover, at $42 million in sales, the mix segment is the fastest-growing part of the smoothies trend.

Market positioning  Retail smoothie stands started out around ten years ago in Southern California as a way for savvy entrepreneurs to use relatively inexpensive fruits, such as oranges and bananas, in a novel way. Eventually, other healthful or exotic ingredients joined the mix, and specialized smoothie bars were born, flourishing in health-food stores and health clubs.

  Recent market developments have moved smoothies from the health environment into the mainstream, with chain restaurants, convenience stores and groceries hopping onto the smoothie bandwagon. "Look at Starbucks," says Alan Greening, product manager, Tropeak, San Jose, Costa Rica. "No one ever expected them to make a fortune just by selling coffee. Smoothies are going to be the same. They are getting back to retail from the high street." Tropeak sold four million pounds of frozen bananas in their smoothie fruit blends last year, and over 800,000 pounds of frozen mangoes.

  "There's lots of natural growth potential in the market," says Greening. "Everyone knows they are supposed to eat more fruit, and that it's good for you. They want their kids to eat more fruit. But, it's a pain to prepare. They want an easier way to eat it. If you can just take some fruit and throw it in a blender and make a healthy drink, kids will drink it and it's hassle-free."

  Even easier is a shelf-stable smoothie that consumers simply open and drink, such as WhipperSnapple, made by Snapple, Inc., White Plains, NY. Says Maura Mottolese, director of new product marketing for the company, "This product has met with much better success than we ever imagined, with people consuming them on a number of usage occasions - including them as meal replacements, as afternoon snacks and as pick-me-ups throughout the day." This product claims 50% of the packaged smoothie market, she says.

  Individually prepared smoothies offer the opportunity to add interesting, healthful additions to the basic fruit mix. In order to formulate the right type of beverage for the market, formulators need to know their target audience, according to National Dipper magazine, a publication aimed at the ice cream industry. For example, at a beverage-bar type of establishment, the individually blended, made-to-order smoothie would be the best formulation.

  "Smoothies are taken more commercially to the milk side or to the frozen side, depending on the focus of the company," says Scott Backinoff, assistant director of product development for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream (known as Edy's east of the Rocky Mountains), Oakland, CA. Some smoothie manufacturers may decide to conform to the standard of identity for sherbet or sorbets, he says, just to maintain consistency. For those companies who do not claim a standard of identity, a label that claims the product is a "frozen dessert," as defined in 21 CFR section 135, is a good idea, he says.

  Currently, the biggest growth in smoothies sales is in the foodservice sector. "Manufacturers see smoothies as the hottest thing in food service," says Dave Sackett, marketing manager for Chiquita Brands, Cincinnati, OH. "And, it's just in its infancy right now." Indeed, remarked one observer at the 1999 National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, only 1% of restaurants offer smoothies on their menus. But when that 1% includes restaurants such as TGI Friday's and Bennigan's, it's a good indicator that the category is headed for success.

Fabulously fruity  Smoothies are a phenomenon unique in the food processing world - no one can say just exactly what a smoothie is. "When you buy a smoothie, it can be a barrage of things," says Janet Platt, national sales manager for Frosty Factory of America, Ruston, LA.

  Originally based on an icy blend of fruit and juice, smoothies now sport a vast array of nutritional and not-so-nutritional ingredients. The International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., calls the definition of a smoothie "quite flexible," with formulations based entirely on consumer acceptance of the product. Because there is no standard of identity, the doors are wide open for food product developers to put their own twists on smoothie newcomers.

  A smoothie can be entirely fruit-based, as is the Tropeak product. This blend of individually quick frozen (IQF) tropical and domestic fruits is sold in pre-measured packets designed to fill a blender. The operator - whether a foodservice worker or a home consumer - puts a packet of the frozen smoothie fruit into a blender, adds fruit juice or water, and sets the blender in motion. This results in an iced beverage with a sorbet-like consistency and true fruit flavor. Greening points out that there's a variety of fruits - papaya, mango, pineapple, strawberry or blueberry - in the company's blends, which gives the product added character. One fruit, however, is always included: "Bananas are what give a smoothie its smoothness, its creaminess," he says.

  Chiquita's Sackett agrees on the importance of banana in smoothie formulas. "Banana not only gives the creamy texture," he says, but the potassium content of the fruit hits the demographic market of 14 to 35 year-olds - the 'extreme sportsters' that need an extra energy boost after a workout. Furthermore, he continues, banana is an easy flavor to blend with other flavors, complementing them without overpowering them. "You don't see too many banana drinks being marketed. They are usually blended with other fruits." Chiquita primarily sells frozen banana chunks and aseptically packaged banana puree for smoothies, though frozen puree is also available.

  Fruit Smoothies by NaturIce, VCI Beverage Center, Indianapolis, use frozen fruit puree as the smoothie base, making a product that has a smooth consistency without seeds.

  Tree Top, Prosser, WA, formulates smoothie blends using a variety of fruits. A fruit concentrate or puree, says John Aldrich, research and development scientist with the industrial ingredient division, allows for the combination of a wide variety of flavors. In addition to the tropical fruits typically used in smoothies, Tree Top also uses soft fruits such as peaches, pears, nectarines and apricots. Melons, cherries (both sweet and tart), cranberries and plums are also used. "Plums are great to use for color and tartness," notes Aldrich.

  Tree Top smoothies also contain apple concentrate to add sweetness and to regulate the tart:sweet ratio. Apples provide potassium and other minerals, and because of its mono- and disaccharide structure, the concentrate is a non-crystallizing sweetener, says Aldrich. Unlike white grape juice or corn sweeteners, it will not "crystallize out" at colder temperatures, below 35°F. Applesauce can provide texture and "pulpiness" to a drink, in place of more expensive tropical or soft fruits. Apple-juice-sweetened smoothie bases can also claim "100% juice."

  Smoothies can help incorporate unusual fruits into the diet, such as mango, pineapple or papaya. Avocado juice adds a mellow tropical note to smoothie drinks, and coconut powders or liquid coconut juice can give a product a piña colada flavor at very low usage levels. These tropical fruits can also provide important substances such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals - ingredients currently getting lots of media attention.

Other smoothie elements  Herbs and spices can enhance the smoothie experience. "Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla enhances the fruit character of a smoothie beverage by complementing the tart sweetness of the fruit," says Craig Nielsen, president, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Waukegan, IL. A powdered version is useful in dry blends in which a liquid would be unsuitable.

  Crystallized ginger or pure ginger juice can add a flavorful kick to smoothie formulas, says Abbie Leeson, general manager of The Ginger People, Monterey, CA. "Ginger is a nice complement to apple, pineapple and all the tropical fruits." It adds a bit of heat that consumers find desirable, "especially when they have a smoothie first thing in the morning," she notes.

  Smoothies can also contain ginseng, St. John's wort and echinacea extracts, says Backinoff. Wheat or barley grass (leaves from the young plants), spirulena (blue-green algae) and algins (kelp-derived alginates) might be added as well. However, he says, many of these offbeat ingredients might have stability issues or "green" flavors that may be undesirable to mainstream consumers, making them impractical for use in mass markets.

  WhipperSnapples' Power Smoothie formulation overcomes the difficulties of formulating with wheat grass by using an extract, which makes the ingredient more stable. "Spirulena and wheatgrass also have a definite green color," says Mottolese, "so those ingredients naturally went into a lemon-lime flavored beverage that had a greenish color to it."

  Wheat-grass juice contains very high levels of chlorophyll, which lends it a green color, and is a rich natural source of vitamins A, B and C. Natural-health advocates say it increases energy, decreases appetite and purifies the blood.

  Spirulina (Cyanophyta Arthrospira platensis) has about 60% protein, and fairly high levels of beta-carotene, iron, vitamin B₁₂ and the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Its color comes from natural pigments: chlorophyll (green), phycocyanin (blue) and carotenoids (orange). It may produce positive effects on the immune system, as well as impart good nutrition. This algae may also have potent probiotic compounds that enhance health. Available commercially as a powder containing about 7% moisture, the ingredient does give a seaweed-like flavor when used at high levels.

  Juice Blasters, manufactured by Mulligan Associates, Inc., Albany, NY, are specialized nutritional supplements that can be added directly to a standard blender using a proprietary delivery system. Each 'shot' of the system provides a measured quantity of nutritional supplements, vitamins, herbs, antioxidants and minerals that enhance physical and mental performance. Formulations include Energy Blast, which is said to increase energy and vitality; Immunity Blast, which helps build the body's immune system; Memory Blast, which is said to improve recall and brain function; and Mood Blast, touted to both raise the spirits and calm the mind.

  Soy products have long been used in smoothie formulations, largely for the health benefits. New research is shedding light on the health benefits of soy, and processing techniques have improved the flavor of soy protein concentrates and soy protein isolates. The proteins up the nutritional ante and can also supply functional properties, including thickening and emulsification. Benefits of including soy protein in the diet include a reduced risk of coronary heart disease and a lowering of blood cholesterol, particularly low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol. Soy products have also been found to reduce the incidence of bone-calcium loss (osteoporosis) and have been found to have antioxidant activity.

  Additionally, food-grade isoflavone concentrates have created an even bigger market for soy ingredients. The isoflavones daidzein, genistein and glycitein have been proven estrogenic, according to studies conducted by Schouten USA, Minneapolis. Tamara Shryver, sales manager for nutraceutical products, observes: "There's a lot of people who have great interest in isoflavones, but they're not sure where to go with them, how to use them, and if the market is ready for them." Smoothies provide an excellent way to incorporate soy products into the diet, she says.

  Aaron Tabor, M.D., director of Physicians Laboratories, Walkertown, NC, uses Schouten's SoyLife soy isoflavone concentrate in his smoothie beverages as a functional ingredient. Added at levels of 1% to 5%, soy isoflavone concentrate provides a toasted, nutty flavor to the product.

  Other nutritional additives to a smoothie blend might include vitamins, such as vitamin A, certain B vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin C, thiamin and riboflavin, says Backinoff. For smoothies serving as meal replacements, folic acid may be added in amounts not exceeding 400 mg per serving if the product is intended for use once per day, or 200 mg per serving if it is intended for use more than once per day, according to 21 CFR section 172.345.

  Product developers must be aware of the drawbacks in developing products with added nutritional ingredients, says Norman Katz, vice president of sales for Comax Manufacturing, Melville, NY. "Functional ingredients at higher levels can be nasty tasting." Dan Titus, president of Juice Gallery, Chino Hills, CA, agrees: "The more natural it is, the worse the taste." While this might not be strictly true in all cases, many herbal additives lend bitter notes or other undesirable flavors. Purification can help somewhat, but in many cases, the active ingredient causes the questionable flavor.

  Product developers must consider all the flavors in the system. First, says Katz, there is the characterizing flavor, whether it's a dairy note or fruit note that predominates. Natural and artificial flavors can add dimension to the primary flavor profile of the product and can add "freshness" to a smoothie mix that is heat processed. B vitamins and many herbal supplements can contribute off-notes or undesirable earthy flavors. Soy proteins can come across as grain-flavored or roasted.

  Flavor systems can be used to mask off-flavors. "You can't use characterizing flavors to mask off-flavors," says Katz. Custom flavors need to be developed that are product-specific and can alter the flavor profile of certain ingredients. "No one (flavor) works across the board," says Katz, but rather, it must be specific to the product. Functional herbs are hardest to mask, he claims. Though these may be popular in some health-food venues, mainstream consumers are not ready for their strong flavors.

  Fiber can also be an important addition to liquid smoothie formulas. Inulin, oligofructose, dried fruit powders, and beta-glucan can all increase fiber content of smoothie blends. They can thicken the beverage and provide additional mouthfeel and improve particulate suspension.

  However, says Backinoff, high-fiber ingredients can be hard to deliver to a frozen smoothie product, because it has an overrun, similar to that of ice cream. Three to 4 fluid oz. is a typical serving size for a frozen product, compared to 8 to 12 oz. for a liquid smoothie serving. "The liquid product is more nutrient-dense," says Backinoff. Frozen smoothies can, though, be made more nutritious with added whey protein concentrates and whey protein isolates.

  Probiotics are the current "hot buttons" that have consumers clamoring for yogurt-like smoothies, claims Backinoff. Yogurt cultures Lactobacillus bifidus and L. acidophilus promote healthy digestion in the gut. Inulin adds not merely fiber to the product, but aids in the production of good bacteria as well. Prebiotics, such as inulin and oligofructose, promote the growth of these bacteria, providing the host with the proper environment to grow good bacteria. (For more information, see "Friendly Colonization," in the August 1998 issue of Food Product Design.) Inulin and oligofructose consumption also appear to have a positive effect on the absorption of calcium into bone tissue.

  Additional ingredients can make a smoothie seem smoother when blended. Gum tragacanth and xanthan gum can provide smooth texture and mouthfeel. Xanthan gum is particularly useful in chilled products, because it hydrates well under cold conditions and has a low usage level. Xanthan gum also aids in pulp suspension, says Mike Wanous Ph.D., technical service lead, Kelco Biopolymer North American Food Sales, Chicago.

Fast-action smoothies  Fast-food and convenience stores are a quickly growing market for smoothie beverages, and in these situations, smoothies take on a whole different twist from their health-drink counterparts. "Fast" smoothie products require quick preparation and must be easy to use, and are often designed as a self-serve item. Additionally, these drinks must hold to a strict price point. While a hand-made healthful smoothie with nutraceutical ingredients may fetch up to four dollars for a 20-oz. serving, a fast-food or convenience-store version must deliver the same volume for about one dollar, say foodservice distributors. Thus, the emphasis for the mass market is consistency, cost and convenience.

  Made from liquid, frozen or dry pre-mixes, these beverages generally need a specialized mixer that freezes the blend as it is stirred, keeping the slushy mixture in motion. Smoothie machines operate by the batch method, Platt explains. The mix is poured into a hopper that delivers the mixture into a freezing cylinder. The frozen mixture is then scraped off the walls of the cylinder.

  Mixes that contain dairy products must go into a machine that can accommodate heat-sensitive ingredients. The hopper must maintain refrigerated temperatures - no higher than 40°F - as the mixture is replaced in the chilling cylinder as it is used. "Eight oz. goes out of the refrigerated storage hopper, 8 oz. goes in to the freezing chamber," Platt says. The beater bar, which scrapes the frozen mixture from the cylinder, is intermittent in a dairy-based smoothie machine because the dairy in a mix can turn into butter if mixed constantly, depending on the butterfat content of the mix. "It's just not good to constantly beat a dairy blend," she warns.

  Smoothie preblends possess a unique set of concerns for the manufacturer. Products are formulated for blending with either milk, water, juice or yogurt. They must be shelf- or freezer-stable. Aseptic and bag-in-box packaging is gaining in popularity at the store level due to the expense of freezer space. Many of the products designed to go into a smoothie machine are 1+3 or 1+4 concentrates, to which the end user just adds water, then adds to the machine for freezing, says Aldrich.

  Food gums such as xanthan aid in the stability of concentrated smoothie mixes, says Wanous. Certain gums provide heat tolerance for canned concentrates. Notes Wanous: "Smoothies are very acidic," and need stability. Xanthan gum can stand up to the rigors of processing with highly acidic fruits. Gums also provide a thicker mouthfeel to the products, allowing for the manufacturer to reduce the amount of expensive fruits in the product. "Fluid suspension technology is a very hot product issue," he says.

  The definitive word for smoothie is smooth, and products made to be served from smoothie machines need to be formulated with the frozen product in mind. To keep crystalline ice from forming in the mixture, which gives a gritty texture to the smoothie, Platt says that the sugar content is critical. Too little sugar causes the mixture to form ice crystals, while too much sugar inhibits the freezing. Frosty Factory recommends that the Brix level of the mix be 13 to 18. "A lot of people will try to water the mixture down," says Platt, "adding an extra quart of water to stretch it, and make a little extra profit. It tears up the machine."

  Propylene glycol, propylene glycol alginate, pure crystalline fructose, sorbitol and glycerin can depress the freezing point to inhibit crystallization. Microcrystalline cellulose can control water separation, while bulking agents such as polydextrose and maltodextrin help provide a smooth character to the finished product.

  Flavors for pre-mixed smoothie blends tend toward the tropical, just as do the fresh-made fruit blends, but pre-mixed blends make it easy to combine varieties to provide customers with specialty blends. Some convenience-store operators combine two or more flavors from different machines, allowing customers to tailor the product to taste.

  Whether the smoothie trend will really take off is hard to predict. Although sales are soaring, the market remains relatively small. The recent merger of mall smoothie-stand players Jamba Juice and Zuka Juice, San Francisco, resulted in the largest corporate presence to date in the market. Nevertheless, the total number of stores in the chain number only 200, compared to 20,000 stores for the frozen yogurt giant TCBY. The fad is just catching on in most areas of the country, and market observers such as Juice Gallery's Titus are watching to see what the shake-out will be. Standardization of the product and delineation of the market segments will be very important to the growth of the smoothie product, he feels. Whether as a menu item, a meal replacement or a refreshing beverage, smoothies remain something of an enigma to both the public and the industry, and an area ripe for further development for food product designers.

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