NNB Nutrition demonstrates how beverage makers can create naturally sweetened functional drinks without compromising taste. Their “Rethink The Drink” concept showcases SweetVantage technology alongside clinical doses of GeniusPure Alpha-GPC, SalidroPure, and TyroPure.
In an industry increasingly dominated by basic caffeine-laden formulas full of sugar or artificial sweeteners, NNB Nutrition is challenging beverage makers to elevate their offerings with innovative, beverage-stable ingredients that deliver both exceptional flavor and functional benefits. At Natural Products Expo West, NNB unveiled their “Rethink The Drink” (RTD) concept – a demonstration energy drink that showcases their ingredient technologies in action.
This isn’t a consumer product destined for store shelves, but rather a proof-of-concept designed to illustrate what’s possible when formulators leverage NNB’s cutting-edge ingredients. Following the successful XPO NRG collaborative project, this latest demonstration takes beverage innovation to the next level.
Introducing SweetVantage for Beverages: A Revolutionary Natural Sweetener System
At the heart of NNB’s beverage innovation is SweetVantage, their proprietary natural sweetener technology that finally solves the challenges that have limited stevia-based products.
NNB Nutrition revolutionizes natural sweeteners with SweetVantage. A 3-year, $2.5M project delivers clean-tasting stevia that covers the entire palate. Perfect for beverages and powders.
“This is naturally sweetened – no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners”, noted Dustin Elliott from NNB Nutrition during our tasting session. What makes this particularly impressive is that the formulation maintains exceptional taste despite containing multiple functional ingredients that typically have bitter or challenging flavor profiles.
According to NNB’s documentation, SweetVantage represents a $2.5 million, three-year research and development investment to create a sweetening system that targets “the front, middle, and back of the palate.” The technology features:
- Lower astringency compared to traditional natural sweeteners
- Heat stability for beverage manufacturing
- Clean label appeal (can be listed as “steviol glycosides”)
- Superior flavor profile with reduced bitterness and aftertaste
During our tasting, we were struck by how the demonstration energy drink completely lacked the characteristic stevia bitterness many consumers associate with natural sweeteners. This represents a significant breakthrough for beverage formulators seeking to create clean-label products without compromising on taste.
Two Distinctive Flavor Concepts
With expert assistance from Sensapure Flavors, NNB created two unique flavor profiles that showcase their sweetener technology’s versatility:
- Blue Razz Fruit Punch – A distinctive combination featuring complementary berry and citrus notes. The team mentioned they’re considering adding a touch of marshmallow to evolve it into a “gummy shark” profile.
- Coconut Berry – A coconut-forward tropical blend with subtle berry and pineapple undertones, with potential to enhance the pineapple notes for more of a piña colada direction.
Both flavors demonstrated exceptional balance and mouthfeel, with none of the compromises typically associated with naturally-sweetened beverages. Sensapure Flavors’ expertise clearly played a crucial role in creating these innovative flavor systems that work harmoniously with NNB’s ingredient technologies.
Beverage-Stable Functional Ingredients at Clinical Doses
What truly sets the “Rethink The Drink” concept apart is its incorporation of multiple functional ingredients at clinically-effective doses – something rarely seen in naturally sweetened beverages:
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GeniusPure Alpha-GPC: Double Your Focus
NNB’s demonstration included GeniusPure Alpha-GPC at 250mg, a high-yield, beverage-stable form of alpha-GPC that comes in both 70% and 90% concentrations. Unlike standard 50% alpha-GPC, GeniusPure maintains stability in beverage applications without clumping or degrading.
Recent clinical research shows alpha-GPC can “double your focus” with a 108% increase in cognitive performance metrics after just a single dose.
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SalidroPure: Sustainable Salidroside
The beverage also features SalidroPure at 35mg, NNB’s fermented pure salidroside ingredient. This represents a sustainable alternative to Rhodiola extracts, especially important now that Rhodiola crenulata has been added to the CITES list of endangered species.
According to NNB’s materials, SalidroPure is “99x more potent than Rhodiola” and supports stress management, cognitive function, and exercise performance while requiring only a small 20-30mg dose.
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TyroPure: High-Dose Fermented L-Tyrosine
Perhaps most impressive was the inclusion of TyroPure fermented L-tyrosine at a substantial 2-gram dose. During the tasting, Shawn Wells noted that tyrosine works synergistically with paraxanthine and other ingredients like salidroside for enhanced focus and cognitive benefits.
This substantial dose of tyrosine demonstrates NNB’s ability to incorporate traditionally challenging ingredients at clinical doses while maintaining excellent flavor and stability.
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Additional Premium Ingredients
The demonstration also included:
- enfinity® Paraxanthine from TSI Group (developed by Shawn, Kylin, Dr. Ralf Jaeger, and Dr. Martin Purpura, and also manufactured at NNB Nutrition) – A caffeine metabolite delivering clean, focused energy without caffeine’s common side effects
- MitoPrime (L-ergothioneine) – NNB’s “longevity vitamin” that enhances mitochondrial function and provides potent antioxidant protection
The RTDTech™ Platform: Solving Beverage Formulation Challenges
Paraxanthine is the primary metabolite of caffeine, providing most of caffeine’s beneficial effects. Now you can take it directly with enfinity!
While showcasing these specific ingredients, NNB’s broader “Rethink The Drink” initiative highlights their RTDTech™ platform, which addresses three critical challenges in functional beverage development:
- Stability – Ingredients engineered specifically for beverage applications, with proven stability in liquids under various conditions including heat and pH fluctuations
- Safety – All ingredients are either self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) or fermented natural compounds with sustainability stories
- Water Solubility & Small Dosage – Optimized for beverage formulations with either high water solubility or small effective doses
This platform represents NNB’s systematic approach to solving the most persistent challenges facing beverage innovators.
A Vision of Beverage Innovation, Not a Consumer Product
It’s important to note that this demonstration energy drink is not slated for consumer release. Rather, it serves as NNB’s showcase of what’s possible when beverage formulators partner with them to create truly innovative products.
“Loaded energy drinks are beyond what’s on the market now,” observed one participant during our tasting, highlighting how this concept pushes boundaries in both flavor and functionality.
As Tom Gourley from TSI Group commented during the tasting, this concept demonstrates how supplement brands can create beverages that deliver both exceptional taste and complete clinical dosing without compromise.
Looking Forward: The Future of Functional Beverages
NNB’s “Rethink The Drink” (RTD) initiative represents a direct challenge to the beverage industry’s status quo. Rather than accepting the limitations of traditional formulations, it demonstrates that with the right ingredient technologies, brands can create products that are:
Shawn Wells and Dustin Elliott of NNB Nutrition join the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #152 to discuss innovative ingredients that capture ongoing trends like GLP-1 and MPS. We also get into Dustin’s trip to China, NNB’s participation in XPO NRG with MitoPrime, and Shawn’s psychedelic experiences and his post-trip supplement stack.
- Naturally sweetened without taste compromises
- Clinically dosed with functional ingredients
- Stable across various storage conditions
- Genuinely effective in delivering on consumer promises
While consumers won’t see this specific formulation on store shelves, any beverage company can recreate similar concepts by partnering with NNB Nutrition. Brands interested in exploring these possibilities can contact PricePlow for consulting assistance in formulation development.
To learn more about NNB Nutrition’s innovative approach and ingredient technologies, check out Episode #152 of the PricePlow Podcast featuring Shawn Wells and Dustin Elliott.
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