What does it Mean Aloe Drink?

By davaro, 11 November, 2022

What does it Mean Aloe Drink?

Aloe drink is a beverage manufactured with a percentage of 12-20% to 18-25% of aloe juice into the formula. Aloe drinks may be flavored (mango, peach, passion fruit, grape, etc) and usually have floating chunks (pieces) of aloe vera into the beverage. For identification purposes, we call aloe drinks to all of them.

Aloe drink must not be confused with the typical aloe juice. Aloe juice is a juice manufactured with more than 80% or 90% of aloe juice into the formula from pure juice or concentrated juice, even when some manufacturers call aloe drink to the final product. Some aloe juices may be flavored or have some fruit or honey mixed into the formula, but for identification purposes, all are considered as aloe juices.

Aloe drink is considered under the category of functional beverages. In order to understand the concept, it is necessary to explain the related expressions. 

A Drink is a material, usually of plant or animal origin that contains or consists of essential body nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins or minerals and is ingested to produce energy, stimulate growth and maintain life.

A Functional Drink is any drink products that provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value and to which ingredients have been added. They have a specific physiological function and/or are enhanced drinks where the level of added ingredients would not normally be found in that drink.

A Nutraceutical is any drink products that are an advanced form of functional drink and that have a medicinal impact on health, providing a physiological benefit or protection against a chronic disease. Nutraceuticals is the overlap between drink and pharma/OTC.

The following definitions may help to clear the concept.

  • Nutraceuticals (food/pharma): Food/drink products that have a medicinal impact on health, providing a physiological benefit or protection against a chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions.

  • Nutricosmetics (food/beauty): Nutritional products and supplements that offer cosmetic benefits principally focused on skin health and hair quality.

  • Cosmeceuticals (beauty/pharma): Topically applied products that enhance the way the skin looks by altering the biological functioning of the skin.

Other definition says that a functional beverage can be defined as a drink product that is non-alcoholic, ready to drink and includes in its formulation non-traditional ingredients. This includes herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids or additional raw fruit or vegetable ingredients, so as to provide specific health benefits that go beyond general nutrition. Sports and performance drinks, energy drinks, ready to drink (RTD) teas, enhanced fruit drinks, soy beverages, aloe drinks and enhanced water, among others, are some of the product segments rolled out as functional beverages in the market space. 

Functional beverages have become popular due to its appeal to consumers who are seeking specific health benefits in their foods and beverages with their 'healthiness-on-the-go' idea. Both convenience and health have been identified as important factors when consumers make decisions about purchasing foods and beverages. Functional drinks are promoted with benefits such as heart health, improved immunity and digestion, joint health, satiety, and energy-boosting.

Aloe Vera drink is considered a Functional Drink because it has more than 200 nutrients scientifically proven, among them the amino acids, enzymes, calcium (for muscles and nerves), the potassium, magnesium (nerves), the iron (blood formation), the zinc (protection against free radicals), manganese, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, C, E, and beta-carotene, tannins and salicylic acid.

From the marketing analysis, there are other methods of differentiation, but always within those cathegories, such as the following:

  • Organic or not organic

  • Light and not light

 

Marget segmentation for functional drinks 

Market segments of the functional beverage industry are divided mainly by four parts. Those include hydration, energy/rejuvenation, health and wellness and weight management. Each segment has its own target market and consumers. Overlapping of target consumers does occur, not because of undefined market needs, but due to the consumer acceptance towards functional beverages. 

 

Health and wellness

This segment includes beverages that promotes health or give a wellness advantage. Functional beverage companies are more aware of the ‘health conscious’ consumers, so they have introduced beverages with less sugar and therefore less calories. Aloe drink is into this segmentation. Aloe has 75 nutrients, more than 200 active compounds, including 20 minerals, 20 amino-acids and 12 enzymes, vitamins, lignin, saponins and sterols, being the polysaccharides the main constituent.

 

Hydration

This segment includes beverages with an hydration objective. The typical example are those beverages that contain vitamins and minerals as well as herbal extracts that are specifically and scientifically formulated to promote healthy hydration, maintain healthy levels of blood glucose, and also provides the nutrients that are beneficial for the circulatory system. Aloe drink is a perfect beverage for daily hydration.

 

Energy/Rejuvenation

According to the different brands of energy drinks, ingredients that serve as stimulants include the taurine, glucoronolactone, caffeine, and B vitamins, guarana, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, L-carnitine, sugars, antioxidants, yerba mate, creatine, milk thistle. There was two examples of aloe drinks formulated as energy drinks, where the aloe drink had the adittion of taurine and caffeine, as well as guarana powder from Brazilian origin. 

 

Weight management

With increased worries about obesity and its implications on health, combined with a high demand for convenience goods, consumers are naturally looking towards easy weight loss methods that they can easily integrate into their lifestyles. As such, functional beverages are striving to achieve that through addition of ingredients that promote weight loss. Once again, aloe drink is an adequate drink for weight loss.