Officially launched and available for purchase online, BRÈINFÚEL (Breinfuel) evolves from coffees, energy drinks, and nootropics to help the brain respond with focus, alertness, and productivity.
Developed by Dr. Gerald Horn, a Lasik surgeon with a background in pharmaceutical science and disruptive drug development, Breinfuel combines highly researched ingredients with an extended release that is designed to support performance and wellbeing.
“Endurance means so many different things to people with various lifestyles, occupations and interests. Yet, the common desired effect is not the jolt offered by traditional caffeinated beverages, but rather sustainable cerebral stamina and high-performance energy,” noted Dr. Horn. “Whether you’re a competitive bodybuilder, a frontline medical worker, or a stay-at-home mom of zoom-schooled children, our mental health is being zapped by today’s challenges and demands. Consumers need a beverage that incorporates more functional benefits that enhance productivity and well-being.”
Breinfuel comes in four palate-pleasing flavours including Thrive Ice, Victory Bliss, Alpha Punch and Limitless Berry. Dr. Horn combined four uniquely differentiated ingredient blends for Breinfuel’s multifaceted effects. The Caffeine Blend, according to Dr. Horn, is “the secret sauce” of Breinfuel, with the best of what’s in coffee without the coffee base. It is derived from green tea and green coffee beans without the toxicity and loss of potency from the roast.
The Fuel Blend includes four grams of low-glycemic sugar, five grams of easily digestible collagen protein, and MCT’s which are a great source of prolonged energy. The Antioxidant blend offers potential added benefits from vitamin C, vitamin E and beet root, all designed to reduce the brain’s known sensitivity to accelerated metabolism. The Brain-Booster blend features zinc, creatine, glycine (from collagen), and L-theanine, all individually shown to support brain health.
“Putting caffeine in water alone can create a toxic jolt to our system, which has contributed to caffeine’s checkered past,” noted Dr. Horn. “Since caffeine is not energy or fuel, but rather a stimulant, it needs to be supported like one. Breinfuel’s attention to these key principles resulted in four targeted blends that, for many, may redefine the caffeine experience.”
The inception of Breinfuel began as part of Dr. Horn’s goal to optimize his nutritional consumption, lifestyle/productivity, and personal health.
“This began as a personal quest to solve the problem of unsupported caffeine in the marketplace, such as in caffeinated drinks with zero calories or high-fructose carbohydrates,” noted Dr. Horn. “Once I and some colleagues began to experience caffeine in a new and better way, I knew it was the right time to bring Breinfuel to market.”
ABOUT BRÈINFÚEL
Developed by Dr. Gerald Horn, a Lasik surgeon with a background in pharmaceutical science and disruptive drug development, Breinfuel combines highly researched ingredients with an extended release that is designed to support performance and wellbeing. Breinfuel is sold online and comes in four delicious flavours including Thrive Ice, Victory Bliss, Alpha Punch and Limitless Berry. Each bottle of Breinfuel features a proprietary blend of effective ingredients, including: natural caffeine from GCBE and green tea (along with their extracts), D-ribose sugar, collagen protein, MCT’s, vitamin C, vitamin E, beet root, L-theanine, creatine, and zinc.
Consumers’ health status, personal interests and life priorities continuously change with age. Demanding lifestyles of Thai consumer combined with early signs of ageing often trigger middle-aged consumers to become more concerned about their health, nutrition and resulting in increased interest in using functional food/drinks.
Latest research from Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency, highlights that for 84 % of Thai consumer health is a top priority, and even more so for consumers aged between 25-44. Among millennials aged between 25-34, over a quarter (28 %) of consumers rely on products with added nutritional benefits to balance out their indulgence intake and 34 % of consumers in the same cohort seek out the latest information on health and nutrition information.
Pimwadee Aguilar, Associate Director for Food & Drink, at Mintel said:
“The degree to which consumers choose to engage with functional food and drink products varies depending on life stage and lifestyles. The increase in health awareness often takes place after the first signs of health decline. As simple signs such as facial fine lines usually appear at around the age of 25, it is at this stage when consumers are really motivated to review their diet and attempt to improve it either through conventional foods, supplementation or medicine.”
“With consumers seeking convenient ways to make up for their imbalanced lifestyle, brands in the food and drink space have an opportunity to tap into this need state to help consumers feel at their best despite their busy schedule. To find success in functional food and drink business, brands need to develop products that provide customised benefits to fulfill the needs of different demographic groups.”
Performance enhancement is the key target benefit
Thai consumers are looking for ways to improve performance and delay the degeneration of health. Mintel research highlights that the top three benefits consumer look for in functional food and drink products include brain health (62 %), eye health (55 %) and skin health (53 %)and that boost energy. However, 53 % of consumers prefer getting nutrients through regular food and drink rather than through those with fortifications and this increases to 66 %, among consumers aged 45+.
“Despite the significant demands for functional food and drinks with benefits for brain/eye health and energy, within the last three years the Thai market has experienced very stable growth in product launches that cater to these needs. With new ingredients and product varieties that can deliver these benefits, there is still a large opportunity for business growth. In Thailand, ‘naturally functional’ ingredients or products are perceived to be better than ‘added nutrition’ among consumers. Brands can appeal to consumers, especially adults with food and drink products with functional benefits from natural sources as they convey ‘healthiness’ more strongly than those with synthetic ingredients. Product formats such as beverage powders and yogurts which can easily fit into many meal occasions, and presents an opportunity to penetrate exceptionally well with consumers as they contain ‘familiar, real-food’ qualities. Energy drinks and those with electrolytes, on the other hand, are consumed less, mostly due to their ‘overly processed’ image. To win consumer acceptance, manufacturers need to develop products which provide functional benefits, yet maintain ‘real food’ look and taste,” said Pimwadee.
Beauty inside out
Consumers want to look their best, even amidst busy lifestyles, as Mintel research reveals that over half of consumers look for skin health (51 %) and over a third of consumers seek products that aid weight loss (37 %). The interest is high, especially among female consumers, in functional food and drinks products that offer for skin health (63 %) and weight loss benefits (45 %). Finally, Thai consumers say they are aware and have consumed collagen (73 %) and antioxidants (72 %).
“Urbanisation has resulted in consumers leading hectic lifestyles which often increases their chances of physical and mental burnout and premature ageing. As a result, early signs of ageing on the face and body are triggering consumers, especially females, to seek solutions to delay the decline. Collagen and antioxidants are the most popular functional ingredients among consumers as they seek ‘quick fixes’ to improve physical appearance and delay ageing. Food and drink can play an important role in beauty as ingredients for healthy skin such as collagen are seeing high awareness and usage. It is essentials for brands to lead in educating consumers about ingredients and benefits the product delivers and offer convenient, effective and tasty beauty and weight management solutions to consumers,” concluded Pimwadee.
The all-natural brain health supplement BioPQQ® will soon be added to the European Union’s Approved List of Novel Foods, enabling the product to be used in food applications. The development follows an assessment by an expert panel attesting to the supplement’s safety. Dozens of in vitro and in vivo clinical studies and trials suggest that BioPQQ may have significant anti-oxidative and neurogenerative benefits for brain health.
The inclusion of BioPQQ on the EU’s Approved List of Novel Foods represents a significant opportunity for European food manufacturers to fortify products with a safe and effective brain health supplement. Consumer interest in brain health has risen dramatically in recent years. While older consumers are considered the dominant buyers of brain health supplements, surveys indicate that younger consumers are increasingly interested in supporting brain health to promote greater mental focus and acuity.
The inclusion of BioPQQ on the EU list is expected to be formalized this summer and follows a review of the product in accordance with Article 29(1)(a) of Regulation (EC) #178/2002. As part of the review process, the European Commission asked the European Food Safety Authority to assess BioPQQ’s safety as a novel food ingredient. The EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) concluded that BioPQQ is safe under the intended conditions of use.
Manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, BioPQQ is sold globally through distributors and vitamin retailers. Studies demonstrate that BioPQQ may stimulate Nerve Growth Factor and help protect neurons from harmful oxidative stress. BioPQQ has been shown to inhibit neurotoxicity and promote “mitochondrial biogenesis” to energize cells, particularly in the brain. Its anti-oxidative effect has been demonstrated to be significantly higher than both Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
“Consumers regardless of age want to enhance brain health,” said Shoji Matsukawa, general manager, organic chemicals sales & marketing for Mitsubishi Gas Chemical America. “BioPQQ’s forthcoming appearance on the EU’s Approved List of Novel Foods opens up new possibilities for developing European food products that might improve cognitive functioning. Examples could include nutrition bars, snack foods, beverage mixes, and other products.”
In the United States, BioPQQ has received GRAS (“generally regarded as safe”) designation, enabling it to be used as a food ingredient. BioPQQ is also the only supplement of its kind to have successfully negotiated the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notification process with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, attesting to the stringent quality control and safety standards in its production. Mitsubishi’s proprietary fermentation process for harvesting BioPQQ naturally is well-controlled and well-documented. No other compound of its kind on the market has been as rigorously tested and studied.
