Microensapsulation of caffeine makes delivery precise

The company cites the benefits of a small amount of caffeine as being mood enhancement, improved concentration, increased physical stamina and improved memory.

Maxx Performance says its microencapsulation masks the bitterness of caffeine, so it can be added to food and beverage products without changing flavor or texture.

The issue of putting caffeine in foods raises the question of over stimulating consumers, namely children, if it begins to appear in more and more products - namely foods.

This is only made worse by inefficient formulation technology.

"More than is necessary is added upfront in the hope that the desired amount will be in the end product," said Maxx Performance president and CEO, Winston Samuels.

"Adding caffeine to products can be a very inexact and uneconomical process."

But the Chester, New York company says its technology can alleviate some of these concerns because it allows for more precise dosing.

"It's also difficult to deliver precise amounts of caffeine in a product because the amount in the finished product is dependent upon the processing conditions," said Maxx Performance president and CEO, Winston Samuels.

"Conventional methods of caffeine dosing are generally hit and miss."

The company claims its microencapsulation preserves caffeine through the manufacturing process and end products contain only the desired amount of caffeine without any overage.

The most common delivery system consumers associate with caffeine is coffee.

One of the world's largest traded commodities, coffee is produced in more than 60 countries and generates more than $70bn in retail sales a year.

It continues to spawn research that has linked the beverage to reduced risks of certain diseases, especially those involving the liver and diabetes.

A recent study associated drinking coffee with a decrease in woman's rate of cognitive decline associated with age - though no such benefits were found for men.

The study, published in the journal Neurology , looked at 4,197 women and 2,820 men in France, and found that women who drank at least three cups a day had a 33 percent lower decline in verbal retrieval and an 18 percent lower decline in visuospatial memory, compared to those who drank one cup or less.

The effects were put down to caffeine , and are in line with the US average, which is more than three and a half cups per day - suggests Americans already get enough of the psychostimulant.