Image: Oxyose combines fruit juice with 90-95% pure oxygen to create the cockatil. Photo; courtesy of Oxyose

Sugar. Caffiene. Exercise. Sleep. Trying to stay awake and energetic in a demanding and fast-paced world is an increasingly difficult task for the modern day consumer, and finding a healthy method is an even greater challenge.

The recent backlash against high-calorie, chain-store coffees and sugar-laden soda drinks, hasn’t helped. Combined with an influx of confusing and conflicting information, this has left many consumers looking for an alternative to the traditional pick-me-up beverages and manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to utilise this gap in the market.

Julieta Ose, CEO and founder of the oxygen cocktail, OxyOse, believes the answer to the healthy beverage market lies in another fundamental aspect of everyday life: oxygen. After arriving at the idea at the age of 16, Ose began to research the oxygen cocktail originated as part of research into the respiratory function of the stomach in the 1960s by the Russian academician N N Sirotinin. After two years of development, Ose decided to introduce her plan to bring oxygen into the UK beverage market.

“Considering we are currently only breathing 19-21% pure oxygen due to pollution it made so much sense to consume it in a more convenient method,” says Ose.

The oxygen cocktail

“The oxygen comes from a concentrator.”

OxyOse uses natural fruit juice as a base, which is combined with herbal extracts and infused with 90-95% pure oxygen. According to Ose, the development of the cocktail came as a reaction to the ever increasing list of things that consumers need to be healthy. One of the things she thought was being overlooked was, oxygen

“With the demand placed on us today it is more important than ever we have all the energy we need to get through each day with ease,” says Ose.

The oxygen comes from a concentrator, which is then mixed with a fruit-juice base. The foaming agent expands drastically creating a smooth beverage, which according to Ose binds the oxygen into the cocktail and gives the product a smooth texture that offers consumers an energy boost with no added sugars or caffeine.

“After entering the intestines, the oxygen from the cocktail absorbs into the blood, where it stimulates metabolism, blood circulation, redox and the immune system.” explains Ose. “The activated metabolism also stimulates the digesting of other ingredients, thereby enhancing their medical action.

“The foamy texture allows the oxygen to be trapped within the beverage for a much longer amount of time giving the customer the best experience possible. It also makes the beverage very filling, creating a healthy drink that can cut your cravings and that rumbling stomach.”

Foam of the future?

“The market for interesting alternatives has expanded dramatically.”

Despite being readily overseas, the cocktails have so far evaded the UK market. However, as mainstream sodas become more demonised for their sugar content, the market for interesting alternatives has expanded dramatically, which Ose expects to continue as more companies begin to explore a wider variety of drink options, including oxygenising.

Since launching the concept OxyOse has gained solid recognition from both Virgin Start Up and won the Shell LiveWIRE Grand ideas award to develop the oxygen cocktail and the market for alternative drinks.

“The functional beverage industry is the fastest growing sector of industry,” says Ose. “This ‘Oxygenation’ phenomenon is not going un-noticed in the beverage industry, dozens of juice and water bottlers are preparing to introduce various types of oxygenated beverages into health food and convenience stores, as well as the larger supermarkets.”