Plant-based nutridrink – a category overview from an R&D and food creators’ perspective

A plant-based nutridrink is not a beverage in the traditional sense, but a highly concentrated nutritional system designed to deliver energy, protein, and a complete set of key micronutrients in the smallest possible volume. From a technological perspective, it represents a complex functional matrix in which every component of the formulation simultaneously affects nutritional value, stability, sensory performance, and user tolerance. 

Unlike protein shakes or typical meal replacements, a nutridrink is developed as a complete or semi-complete solution, often intended for long-term use. This means that the defining parameters go far beyond protein or calorie content alone and include energy density, viscosity, ease of consumption, stability throughout the entire shelf life, and consistency of quality at production scale.

Key areas of application

From a product development perspective, plant-based nutridrinks currently operate across three overlapping areas.

The first is medical nutrition and the ONS segment, where products are used in the prevention or treatment of malnutrition, in patients with reduced appetite, during recovery, or when the ability to consume traditional meals is limited. In this context, high nutrient density, formulation stability, and regulatory compliance are of critical importance.

The second area is so-called complete nutrition in RTD format, aimed at consumers seeking a full-portion, convenient nutritional solution. While sensory performance and consumer appeal play a more prominent role here, requirements related to nutritional completeness and formulation stability still apply.

The third area includes high-protein products supporting healthy ageing, where nutridrinks serve as a tool to help maintain muscle mass, particularly in older adults, while ensuring good gastrointestinal tolerance.

Formulation architecture of a plant-based nutridrink

The most demanding element of the formulation remains the protein system. Plant proteins such as pea, soy, rice, or faba are rarely used as single sources. Instead, blends are typically developed to improve the amino acid profile, solubility, and digestibility. However, every protein choice has a direct impact on flavour, texture, and product stability, and characteristic plant-derived off-notes, chalkiness, or astringency remain among the key formulation challenges.

Equally critical is the energy system based on carbohydrates and fats. A nutridrink must deliver a substantial amount of energy without placing excessive strain on the gastrointestinal tract. In practice, this requires a balance between maltodextrins, modified starches, or low-glycaemic carbohydrates, alongside the selection of appropriate plant-based fats and emulsions. Each of these components affects osmolarity, viscosity, and product stability after thermal processing.

Fibre, while important from a metabolic and gut health perspective, represents another technological challenge. Its inclusion can enhance the nutritional profile but may also increase viscosity, reduce tolerance, and destabilise the formulation, particularly in products subjected to UHT processing. Fortification with vitamins and minerals further requires careful consideration of thermal stability, interactions between micronutrients, and their impact on the final product’s flavour and aroma.

Key formulation challenges, process technology, and scale-up

Plant-based nutridrinks are among the most demanding categories in functional food development. The most common issues include emulsion instability, protein sedimentation, texture changes during storage, and a gradual deterioration of the sensory profile over the course of shelf life. An additional challenge is ensuring consistent quality between production batches, particularly when scaling up a formulation.

For R&D teams, this translates into the need for multiple formulation iterations and an acceptance of trade-offs between nutritional completeness and sensory acceptance. In practice, product success is rarely driven by a single breakthrough ingredient and far more often results from a well-designed and balanced system.

The product format determines the entire technological process. Powdered nutridrinks offer simpler logistics and longer shelf life, but their effectiveness depends heavily on correct preparation by the end user. Ready-to-drink products provide greater convenience and compliance, yet require advanced UHT or aseptic processing, and any change in production scale may reveal issues that were not apparent at the pilot stage.

The transition from laboratory development to industrial production often necessitates further optimisation of the formulation, particularly with regard to stability, texture, and the preservation of sensory properties after thermal processing.

Trends and directions of development

The plant-based nutridrink market is clearly moving toward formulations with the highest possible nutrient density delivered in the smallest possible serving volume. This shift is driven by both clinical and consumer needs, including reduced appetite, volume intolerance, and the demand for convenient nutrition that does not require large portion sizes. For R&D teams, this trend translates into increasing pressure to concentrate calories, protein, and micronutrients without compromising viscosity, stability, or gastrointestinal tolerance. Achieving this balance requires more precise control over ingredient functionality and processing conditions than ever before.

At the same time, the industry is seeing rapid progress in advanced plant protein blends designed to improve amino acid completeness, digestibility, and sensory performance. Protein systems are increasingly engineered not only for nutritional value but also for smoother mouthfeel, reduced off-notes, and better behaviour under thermal processing. Parallel to this, growing attention is being paid to gut tolerance, with innovations in fibre selection, carbohydrate systems, and fat structuring aimed at minimising bloating, discomfort, and osmotic stress. A further defining trend is the convergence of medical-grade functionality with consumer-level sensory expectations. Products are increasingly expected to deliver clinical performance while offering taste, texture, and flavour profiles comparable to mainstream RTD beverages. This convergence raises the bar for R&D but also creates significant room for differentiation through formulation expertise.

Summary

Plant-based nutridrinks represent a category where technology, nutrition science, and real-world user needs converge in a single, exceptionally demanding product format. Market success is rarely determined by any single ingredient or claim. Instead, it depends on a coherent formulation architecture, a robust and reproducible processing strategy, and a deep understanding of the specific use context, whether clinical or consumer-facing. For R&D teams, plant-based nutridrinks remain a challenging development space, but one that is strategically important and offers substantial long-term innovation and growth potential.