Mango leaf extract delivers caffeine-free health boosts in energy drinks

Caffeine dominates 85% of global energy drinks, according to Innova Market Insights, but ingredient developers are now targeting consumers concerned about tolerance, jitters, and sleep disruption with plant-based cognitive enhancers. Innova data shows that 27% of global consumers have made dietary changes to manage mental health. In comparison, energy drink innovation has surged 20% since 2018 — creating demand for ingredients that deliver caffeine’s mental boost without its downsides.

Nektium’s Zynamite — a standardized mango leaf extract backed by nine human clinical trials — represents this shift. The ingredient offers improvements in reaction time, attention, concentration, and physical performance through a mechanism that differs fundamentally from caffeine, positioning itself as what the company calls a “non-stim alternative” for functional beverages and supplements.

“Consumers often rely heavily on caffeine to give them the mental focus they need to get through their day. Generally speaking, caffeine’s an extremely safe stimulant, but many people worldwide find themselves taking excessive amounts every day as their tolerance levels increase,” Laura López-Ríos, product development director at Nektium, tells Food Ingredients First. 

“That can cause side effects like jitters and sleeplessness, which means many now want to cut down on their intake. At the same time, they don’t want to miss out on the mental boost that caffeine provides.”

Zynamite addresses this gap as a non-stimulant solution. “It’s been shown to improve concentration, attention, reaction time, and memory without the side effects associated with caffeine,” López-Ríos says.

Cognitive and physical performance benefits

The ingredient’s applications span both mental and physical performance categories, reflecting Innova Market Insights data showing that lines are blurring between energy drinks and sports drinks. Manufacturers are increasingly creating products that support mental energy alongside physical performance.

“Some of these benefits are valuable in the sports nutrition area too. When combined with other polyphenols, Zynamite has also been shown to reduce pain perception, accelerate recovery following intense physical exercise, and drive increased sprint performance and gains in power output as well,” López-Ríos says.

Clinical evidence supports these claims across multiple parameters. The ingredient has been the subject of nine human trials demonstrating faster reaction time, improved attention, boosts to concentration and memory, faster recovery, less pain, and lower mental fatigue.

Most recently, a study of 88 healthy university students compared a 100 mg dose of the water-soluble Zynamite S formulation against placebo. “The students taking Zynamite S saw a 21.1% improvement in their ability to handle complex tasks, a 25.4% improvement in processing speed, and improvements to attention and working memory, selective attention, fatigue, and mood,” López-Ríos says.

Unique pharmacokinetic profile

Zynamite’s activity profile differs from caffeine in key ways. Mangiferin, the main active compound in Zynamite, reaches optimal levels in the blood within the first hour after ingestion, comparable to caffeine. 

Nektium’s research team screened 150 botanical candidates before identifying mango leaf extract as the optimal cognitive enhancer.“The difference is that there is a prolongation of the half-life of its active metabolites in the body up to five hours later, which is double that of caffeine and means it has a longer-lasting effect,” López-Ríos says. “Importantly, as a non-stim solution, Zynamite doesn’t cause sleeplessness.”

The COMT inhibition mechanism sets it apart from other cognitive enhancers. “It’s the only solution that has been proven to work by inhibiting the action of COMT, which is an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitters dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline,” she says. 

“By reducing COMT activity, mangiferin helps to maintain higher levels of these neurotransmitters in the brain for longer, which enhances their beneficial effects.”

Water-soluble formulation 

The launch of Zynamite S addresses a critical formulation barrier. As an insoluble polyphenol, mangiferin-rich extracts traditionally didn’t dissolve or disperse in aqueous solutions, limiting beverage applications. 

“To increase its versatility, we developed Zynamite S using our Smartek by Nektium delivery technologies. It’s not only fully water-soluble but also has neutral taste, good heat stability, and minimal impact on color, plus it’s effective at a lower dosage,” López-Ríos says. “Those enhancements allow for much greater ease of formulation across formats.”

The reduced effective dose — 100 mg for Zynamite S — also improves cost efficiency. “This not only allows for more versatility in formulation but also helps to reduce cost in use for manufacturers,” she says.

Format versatility aligns with market trends. “Zynamite has a long history of use in supplements, and in recent times we’ve seen a huge rise in interest in convenient, on-trend formats like energy drinks, shots, RTDs and gummies,” López-Ríos says. 

Innova data shows sugar-free claims now appear in 54% of energy drink launches and 46% of sports drink launches, while 46% of US consumers cite taste and flavor as primary influences when purchasing sports nutrition products.

Clean label sourcing 

Zynamite undergoes rigorous testing to validate its COMT inhibition mechanism and cognitive performance benefits.The ingredient’s development followed an extensive screening process. Nektium’s team identified 150 botanical candidates from global bioresources using an ethnobotanically-directed approach, including field research. After screening and dereplication, ten botanicals underwent brain electrical activity studies.

“The proprietary extract used in Zynamite was the clear winner as it provided by far the best brain-activating EEG signature,” López-Ríos says. “Today, Zynamite is the only clean label, science-backed mango leaf extract, and it has very broad appeal among global consumers.”

Sourcing leverages mango production by-products. “Zynamite is a by-product of mango production sourced by selectively pruning cultivated mango trees in the tropics. We work only with suppliers that go through rigorous selection and approval processes with regard to sustainability and ethics,” she says. The leaves are processed using a high-temperature, aqueous extraction method.

Target applications and consumer segments

Zynamite can be formulated alone or in combination with other functional ingredients for diverse consumer groups. “It can be used on its own or alongside other functional ingredients to develop products targeted at all sorts of consumers, including busy workers, gamers, students, and athletes,” López-Ríos says.

This positioning addresses a market where 27% of global consumers report making dietary changes to manage mental health, according to Innova Market Insights, while sports nutrition launches have grown 18% annually from 2021 to 2023. The ingredient’s dual cognitive and physical benefits allow brands to bridge categories, as energy and stamina remain the leading claims in sports supplements.

“We see Zynamite as the definition of smart, sustained energy,” López-Ríos says. “Zynamite is a perfect fit for the natural performance trend because it’s a plant-based nootropic that can be used across a huge variety of F&B products. It’s safe, free from side effects, and is clinically proven to deliver benefits for mental and physical energy.”