Nutritional Beverages

The word ‘Beverage’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘bever’ meaning rest from work. At the most basic level, beverage are the portable drinks other than water that humans can consume to satisfy energy, thirst or hydration. Beverages are not usually consumed for their food value, but many, particularly the fruit drinks, contain quite a high percentage of sugar, vitamins and minerals, and, therefore, add to the energy content of the diet. They may be in the form of freshly squeezed juices to chemical-packed energy drinks. For hundreds of thousands of years, the idea of a beverage was restricted to water, milk or any fruit juice but with passage of time, there came alcohol, wine, various teas, coffees, cocktails, ciders and sodas, A wide range of plant materials are used to manufacture beverages. Broadly, there are two types of beverages alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage”. Former is used as a generic term for beverages that contain more than 2.50% alcohol by volume, nevertheless such that the minimum age provision in applies to beverages containing between 0.70 and 2.50 per cent alcohol by volume. These include leaves, stems, sap, fruits, tubers, and seeds (grains). China and India are the fastest growing markets for non-alcoholic beverages. Keywords: Beverage, energy drinks, alcoholic, non-alcoholic beverages