Novel cap technology releases nutrients in RTDs moments before consumption

24 Jun 2020 --- To preserve the active ingredients in premixed vitamin waters, US-based Karma Water has employed cap technology that releases the nutrients in the drinks moments before consumption. Karma Cap ensures that the nutritional quality of the drinks remains intact. This comes as a Karma Water-endorsed bio-analytical study found that the key active ingredients found in premixed vitamin drinks and kombuchas diminish sharply over time and within the date code of bottling.

Using its patented Karma Cap technology, Karma Water transforms water into a “true wellness elixir,” the company says. With Karma, nutrients and probiotics are added at the moment of consumption by peeling the label and pushing the Karma Cap, which infuses the nutrients into the water.

“As people seek the best for their families, making healthy choices means more than reading the nutrition information listed on the label,” says CJ Rapp, Karma Water Principal CEO. “Knowing nutrients and probiotics in pre-mixed nutritional beverages and kombuchas diminish sharply over time, we're thrilled to offer a product that delivers on its promise of optimal nutrition and great taste.”

Karma Water stresses that often wellness beverages do not provide the nutrition benefits touted on their labels due to ingredient degradation. In contrast, by storing key ingredients in a patented protective Karma Cap until seconds before consumption, Karma assures optimal potency in its ranges of wellness and probiotic waters. This was also confirmed by the Karma Water-endorsed study. The company’s products are also shelf-stable for up to 18 months. 

Packing the personalization trend
Previously, Karma Waters formed a collaboration with Aptar Food + Beverage, a global specialist in dispensing, sealing and active packaging solutions to deliver instant-mix technology to a range of market segments focused on the rising trend of personalized, fortified nutrition. The collaboration’s core aim was that the cap has the potential to extend beyond beverages into other industries, including medical and pharmaceutical.

“Millennials and digitalization are driving the personalization trend. Younger generations are keen on understanding their individuality including their microbiota and DNA material, and then match it to their daily habits to improve health and lifestyle,” Anna Frolova-Levi, Director, Global Business Development for Aptar, told PackagingInsights.

Made of recyclable and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliant materials, the Karma Cap is a delivery system that facilitates portion control and the ability to separate ingredients that are otherwise not shelf-stable. The closure solution includes a delivery system that can infuse either powdered or liquid ingredients into almost any substance. The Karma Cap was first introduced in 2011 as the breakthrough component of Karma Wellness Water, a natural and nutrient-enhanced beverage seeking to promote wellness by delivering fresh, undiluted vitamins at the time of consumption.

Combating coronavirus
With immunity currently in the spotlight due to the coronavirus pandemic, Karma Water is donating its immune-supporting probiotic and wellness products to frontline workers who are combating COVID-19 in Karma’s “hometown” of Rochester, New York, US. Karma Water plans to expand donations to healthcare workers across the country in the coming weeks. 

In notable caps and closures innovation, Elopak recently modernized its famed Pure-Pak carton with the launch of Pure-Pak Imagine in what the company calls its “most environmentally-friendly carton to date.” The new carton swaps the conventional plastic screw cap for a fold-back, top fin opening, which reduces the total plastic content by 46 percent. Also, cosmetic brand Urth Organics’ new packaging boasts a greener profile by adopting wooden caps and tops.

In March, Danone’s Spanish natural mineral water brand Font Vella introduced a cap device that tracks water intake and instructs people toward adequate hydration. Coach20 is being developed in partnership with smart packaging start-up water.io. Packed with sensors, Coach2O is a clip that covers the existing bottle cap – ensuring no contact between the water and the device – and records the volume of water taken in by its user. If need be, Coach2O reminds its user to drink via a series of blinks. The app companion connected to the clip brings a more personalized experience, with features such as daily hydration goal setting, adjusted to individual parameters and daily routine such as workouts.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou