Background
PepsiCo are a global leader in convenient foods and beverages. PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Challenge
PepsiCo Global Beverages is on a journey for clean label beverages and design to value for innovation and productivity. Within this realm, Global Science Platform (GSP) team has a Natural Preservative program that investigates use of novel clean label ingredients as preservatives in high acid cold fill carbonated and non-carbonated beverages. The GSP team is looking for natural extracts that could potentially replace benzoic acid in beverages. The ingredient label needs to be clean extracts only. The cost target in the range of $0.02 to $0.05 cents per serving (8 fl. oz) will be acceptable to balance the system cost savings.
Objective:
- To find natural extracts/technologies for potentially replacing benzoic acid in high acid carbonated and non-carbonated hydration beverages
Project Scope:
- Beverage Application
- Non carbonated and high acid Cold fill
- Non alcoholic application
Solution Requirements:
Must-Haves
1) Physical-chemical property Criteria
- Water soluble; minimum 10X of level of usage
- Stable to heat (up to 110ºF for 8 weeks or 90ºF for 12 weeks), light, UV, oxygen and high acid (pH 2.8 – 3.5) up to 6 months
- Analytical method to test for active compound
2) General criteria
- GRAS or self-GRAS approved or high potential to get approved FEMA GRAS ingredients NOT in scope. Vendor should be willing to share the documents to support the safety usage in beverage
- Neutral in taste and color
- If it is mixture (e.g., extract), we need to know the active compounds
- Safe to consume
- Meets Cost guardrails
- Label friendly
3) Miscellaneous information
- Kosher and non-GMO status must have. Halal is nice to have.
- Technical information such as origin of the ingredient and process of making the ingredient.
- Name on the label
- Global regulatory map
- IP, Freedom to operate.
- Supply chain
What's in it for you?
PepsiCo is open for collaboration, and funding is proposal dependent.