Low and no-alcohol innovation: summary
- Alcohol consumption declines while low and no alcohol rises across Europe
- Europe brews 2.2bn litres annually with one in five alcohol-free
- Consumers want warmth, body, and bite missing from alcohol-free drinks
- KU Leuven and VIB patent piperine niacin to mimic alcohol warmth
- Dsm-firmenich uses dihydrochalcones to boost alcoholic perception without ethanol
The heyday of alcohol consumption is over. Perhaps Euromonitor’s Spiros Malandrakis put it best when he said the alcohol industry isn’t “collapsing”; it’s just in a “very long downward spiral”.
At the same time, the low and no-alcohol trend is on an inverse trajectory. Europe is leading the charge, with 2.2bn litres of non-alcoholic beer brewed every year. These days on the continent, one in five beers served is alcohol-free. The growing trend for health and wellness is paying dividends for 0.0% drink brands.
But like any sector on the rise, there’s room – and appetite – for more growth, and innovation is helping to unlock it.
Too often, low and no-alcohol drinks taste thin, flat or watery, lacking that warming, alcoholic bite. Until now.
Creating an ‘alcohol feeling’ without the booze
Alcohol contributes far more to a drink than its proof alone: it brings warmth on the palate, fuller body and texture, intensified aromas, a subtle bite, and an overall sense of satisfaction.
The challenge to alcohol-free manufacturers is clear. How to make alcohol-free drinks feel like real alcoholic ones?
According to researchers at Belgium’s Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) and the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), which have jointly filed a global patent, the answer lies in combining two common compounds: piperine and nicotinic acid, otherwise known as vitamin B3 or niacin.
Piperine is sourced from black pepper and gives a mild spicy “heat”. Niacin also causes a gentle warming sensation. When mixed together at the right ratio, they create a pleasant warmth that feels like alcohol, without tasting peppery or artificial.
Taste panels describe non-alcoholic drinks made with the ingredient as more warming, alcoholic-tasting and enjoyable. The invention can be used for no and low-alcohol beer and wine, as well as spirits, cocktails and mocktails.
But it’s not confined to low and no-alcohol products: it can also be used in alcoholic beer to make it taste stronger.
A different approach: fooling the palate
Others are taking a different approach to the “warming” buzz problem. Ingredients major dsm-firmenich has identified a way of tricking consumers’ senses – notably their taste and smell – into thinking alcohol is present, when it’s not.
The Swiss company, which has also filed a global patent, is using specific flavour molecules known as dihydrochalcones to create the sensation of alcohol by activating the taste and nerve receptors that alcohol normally stimulates.
What exactly are dihydrochalcones? In simple terms, they’re plant-derived flavour molecules already used in food as sweetness modifiers. But in this instance, they’ve been repurposed for drinks to add an alcoholic “bite” without ethanol.
Dsm-firmenich stresses that by activating sensations of warmth, mild burn, richer texture and enhanced aroma perception, the molecules do not replicate drunkenness – only the taste and mouthfeel of booze. They can help reduce alcohol content by as little as 10% to as much as 100% in a wide range of low and no-alcohol offerings, as well as in kombucha and sparkling beverages.
Taste panels reported stronger alcoholic perception and said drinks felt warmer and more ‘real’.
Comparing alcohol-mimicking tech
The KU Leuven and VIB patent is still pending, but in the meantime they’re actively exploring licensing the co-development partnerships with players in the non-alcoholic beverage industry, a VIB spokesperson explains.
“In parallel, we’re also considering whether it makes sense to develop this further via an independent start-up, working closely with experts from the no-alcohol beer and wine space to translate the technology into high-quality commercial products.”
So, how do the two inventions compare? The biggest difference is that the piperine and nicotinic acid combination mimics the physical “burn” and warmth of alcohol in the mouth, whereas dsm-firmenich’s dihydrochalcones amplify the flavour perception of alcohol.
But there are other differences too, and one big one lies in clean label perception. Using familiar ingredients like pepper and vitamin B3 could end up being easier for brands to explain, and benefit from a more ‘naturally derived’ positioning.
Dihydrochalcones, although derived from plants, could come across as chemical sounding. But, they’re also already widely used in the flavour industry, and offer low-dose efficiency. Which is undoubtedly doubly good news for beverage formulators.
