Dive Brief:
- Cornell University researchers found that consumption of caffeine reduces consumer perception of sweetness, according to The Cornell Sun.
- "The caffeine, we believe, is causing sweet-taste perception to decrease, so when you are not able to taste the sweetness as well, that may drive one to crave sweets or want to eat a cookie or donut with their coffee," said Ezen Choo, Ph.D., a pharmacologist and one of the study's authors.
- In the study, researchers gave two focus groups caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee mixed with quinine to match the bitterness of caffeinated coffee. Participants who drank the caffeinated coffee found the beverage and products given to them afterward to be less sweet.
Dive Insight:
This link between caffeine and sweet-taste perceptions has interesting implications for coffee manufacturers since products with the ingredient could spark consumer hunger for sweet treats like cookies, scones and donuts.
This could be an opportunity to market packaged sweets alongside coffee grounds for maximum purchases — or it could give retailers pause as they try to keep sugary treats away from coffee. Manufacturers could also explain on product packaging that higher levels of caffeine could prompt a sugar binge.
For companies like Nestle, this study seems to point to a lucrative opportunity to cross-merchandise. Last week, the chocolate giant announced that it will buy Chameleon Cold-Brew, an organic, fair-trade maker of ready-to-drink coffee. With this trendy coffee producer in its portfolio, and with other brands like Nescafe, Nestle could begin marketing its sweet products alongside its coffee products to drive sales across categories.
These opportunities could apply to food and beverage categories beyond coffee as well. Caffeine has raised its consumer profile through energy drinks and caffeinated sodas such as Jolt Cola, and caffeinated water is also making a splash in the market today. Flavored water companies such as Hint and Avitae offer caffeinated bottled water products that provide the benefits of better-for-you beverages with an energy boost.
Still, steady consumer demand for caffeine and an uptick in caffeine-centered products launches doesn't mean manufacturers should race to add more of the ingredient to their products — even if it could drive sales of sweet offerings in their portfolio. The FDA has closely eyed caffeinated products for consumer safety in the past. In 2015, the agency launched an investigation into the caffeinated peanut butter product STEEM due to concerns about adding the ingredient to a product children often consume — one tablespoon of the product contained the caffeine equivalent of a cup of coffee. The product does still exist, but it is difficult to find at brick-and-mortar retailers and the website is full of warnings.
Aside from further scrutiny, consumers tend to not appreciate it when manufacturers go behind their backs to add ingredients to increase desire for other products — especially when those products aren't particularly healthy.
Less sensitivity to sweetness is just one potential pitfall of caffeine. While the substance is seen as generally safe for adults, doctors urge caution because it may cause headaches or anxiety, increase heart and respiration rates, and aggravate conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or osteoporosis. Manufacturers have a fine line to walk in order to take advantage of this study's results.