Diabetic-friendly, natural energy drink taps monk fruit for sweetness

Energy drinks sales are booming. According to Mintel, sales grew by a whopping 73% from 2018 to 2023, and they are expected to reach $30 billion by 2029.

The energy drinks category is largely dominated by stalwart brands like Red Bull and Monster, which saw sales of $7.2 billion and $5.4 billion, respectively, in 2023, Insider Monkey reported.

Yet, there’s room for innovation.

Enter Oktane Energy, a natural, diabetic-friendly energy drink sweetened with monk fruit. Oktane Energy was launched in 2021, when founders Toni Covington and ISupreme Watkins saw a need in the market for a natural energy beverage with wide appeal.

“After looking at the market and speaking with people, we realized there wasn’t a drink geared toward the everyday person,” Covington said. “Some were geared toward hardcore lifters, others sold sex, and others were focused on extreme sports. A segment of the population was left out.”

Diabetic-friendly Oktane, which uses natural ingredients without fillers or colors and contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, was designed to create a “package that appealed to everyone.”

The switch from sucralose

Oktane was initially sweetened with sucralose. The company made the switch to monk fruit for “several reasons,” Covington said. For instance, monk fruit doesn’t cause digestive issues or potential health effects like increased risk of stroke and heart disease, she said.

“Additionally, monk fruit contains antioxidants and does not condition taste buds to crave excessive sweetness, promoting better overall diet quality and providing a more wholesome option for our consumers,” Covington explained.

Monk fruit’s sweetening capacity is powered by its content of mogrosides, or naturally sweet compounds that don’t raise blood sugar. Mogroside V, the primary mogroside in monk fruit, also has strong antioxidant properties.

Finding the right taste

Taste is a particular challenge in energy drinks, which often contain ingredients that lend bitterness or undesirable notes — most notably, caffeine. Formulating zero-calorie energy drinks like Oktane ups the taste-challenge ante, as some non-nutritive sweeteners add bitterness or unwanted aftertastes.

Making the switch to monk fruit was a “game changer,” Covington said, citing monk fruit’s “clean, pleasant sweetness” with “minimal aftertaste and smooth mouthfeel,” compared to artificial sweeteners that lend a bitter or metallic aftertaste.

“[Monk fruit] boasts a very sweet taste compared to sugar while still being zero calories, making it an ideal choice for health-conscious consumers,” she explained.

Monk fruit can provide up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. In addition to being a non-caloric sweetener, monk fruit boasts a low glycemic index and works well with Oktane's fruit-inspired flavors, which include blueberry, lemon, orange, mango, watermelon and kiwi.

“Monk fruit blends seamlessly with other flavors, enhancing and complementing them without overpowering, which reduces the overall consumption of sweeteners in our products,” Covington explained. “This synergy with other flavors helps maintain the natural taste and quality of Oktane Energy drinks, aligning with our mission to provide clean, health-focused beverages.”

Importantly, using monk fruit as Oktane’s sweetener made “all natural” positioning possible.  

The quality conundrum

An essential part of any successful formulation is quality, which includes making sure the product is stable throughout its shelf life.

Oktane conducted extensive testing to ensure the longevity and quality of its drinks. The results of the tests found monk fruit retained its sweetness and efficacy when exposed to heat, light and the acidic conditions commonly found in energy drinks, Covington said. 

Specifically, monk fruit can remain stable and effective for up to two years, she said, “providing a reliable and natural sweetening solution that aligns with our commitment to excellence and health-conscious ingredients.”