Drink mix

History

The first juice-type powdered drink mix was Poly Pop, invented by Paul Stevens Hollis in 1922. He sold it as part of the Big State Company until its acquisition by General Foods in 1953.

Ingredients

While some are made with sugar, or sold unsweetened, the products are often made with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates or saccharin, and often include artificial flavors and colors. Powdered drink mixes without sugar will often contain water-soluble filler ingredients such as maltodextrin or dextrose. Products may also include vitamins, electrolytes, caffeine, or other nutrients.

The products are variously marketed and to the point to children, athletes, bodybuilders, dieters, or as a vitamin supplement. Some brands are only sold as drink mixes, while some beverage companies produce powdered versions of their products, as do Gatorade and Ocean Spray. Another form of drink mix is represented by products mixed into milk, such as malted milk, Nesquik, Ovaltine, and Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Packaging

Drink mixes are packaged to protect the product from moisture, air and light.

Powdered drink mixes can be found as bulk, resealable containers or as single-serve pouches or sticks. Pouches may be made of a laminate of paper and aluminum foil. Powdered coffee is often packaged in single-serve coffee container for use in beverage machines.

Liquid concentrates are often sold in squeezable bottles or as single-serve pouches. A patent for a liquid concentrate squeeze bottle was issued to Kraft Foods in 2012.

Drink mix brands

• Bolero
• Burple (discontinued)
• Cedevita
• Country Time
• Crystal Light (primarily to female dieters)
• Emergen-C (vitamin supplement, with sugar or unsweetened)
• Flavor Aid (primarily marketed to children)
• Fruty
• Funny Face (primarily marketed to children)
• G Fuel
• Kool-Aid (primarily marketed to children)
• Milo (drink)
• MiO
• Nesquik (mix)
• Prime Hydration+ Sticks
• Rasna
• Tang

References

References

1. (May 17, 2019). "Fort Worth's Poly Pop was first, but then they started drinking Kool-Aid". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
2. Nichols, Mike. (2014-02-04). "Lost Fort Worth". Arcadia Publishing.
3. Allen, W. R.. (1986-09-01). "Structural Applications for Flexible Packaging: Innovations in Pouch Forms and Uses". Polymer-Plastics Technology and Engineering.
4. "Containers and methods for dispensing multiple doses of a concentrated liquid, and shelf stable Concentrated liquids".