SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) -- A retired chemistry professor from Sioux City has developed a new beverage technology that allows consumers to change the flavor of a drink with each sip. Larry Martin demonstrated his patent-pending product, called Shaka, at the Journal offices. He poured small packets of chocolate- and strawberry-flavored Shaka milk into a glass of low-fat white milk. The three flavors didn't dissolve, but remained separate from each other, with a horizontal stack of solid bands of white, chocolate and strawberry. Martin then shook the liquid. The flavors didn't blend together, but the movement formed tiny balls, or globules, of various sizes and colors floating around the glass, similar to the appearance of a lava lamp. The name Shaka, pronounced Shey-KA, refers to how users can easily change the drink to their liking. The more you shake, the more numerous and smaller the globules become. "If you want to taste big flavor bursts that fill your mouth with cherry or fill your mouth with chocolate, you just shake a little bit before you drink it," said Dick Herschaer, Martin's assistant. "If you want more of a homogenized flavor, then you shake it more and the flavors are distributed more throughout the drink." Herschaer said Shaka has the potential to revolutionize the global beverage industry, the Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/1zLboPy ) reports. "It's the only drink in the world where the consumer can change the flavor without adding anything to the drink," he said. What's the secret behind Shaka? It's the use of gelatin, a natural foodstuff that keeps the flavors from mixing together on their own. Martin, a former Morningside College professor who holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, spent years in a lab in the basement of his Sioux City home testing different measurements of gelatin and flavorings before perfecting his formula. "That was the trick, getting to the correct level so it would be fluid but not just dissolve," he said. The technological breakthrough is so promising that Gelita, the world's largest maker of gelatin products, has offered to help further develop Shaka. More gelatin is manufactured at Gelita's plants just south of Sergeant Bluff than any other site globally. While Shaka could be applied to any beverage, Martin said he is focusing initially on milk because of its multiple health benefits, particularly for children. Several studies have shown that calcium and other important nutrients in milk can help preserve bone density and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes, for example. While children are encouraged to consume low-fat milk, a large number shun it because they perceive it as boring or tasteless, Herschaer noted. "Kids today aren't drinking nearly as much milk as we were when we were growing up," Martin added. Having the ability to select from among multiple Shaka flavors with each sip makes milk more appealing and even entertaining, he said. It's an all-natural product with no preservatives so parents also should like it. More than 30 different flavors have been tested, including a number of kid-friendly favorites like bubble gum. Martin conducted an informal test with nine local children. Using straws, they could try any of the flavors, or stir the drink to form the globules. In a video posted on the company's website -- shakamilk.com -- the youth react enthusiastically to the milk product, with several asking where they could get more of it. Shaka leaders have had early conversations with officials of Dairy Management Inc., a national trade group funded by America's nearly 47,000 dairy farmers and dairy importers. Martin said he has neither the interest nor expertise to manufacture and distribute Shaka on a commercialized basis. The goal, he said, is to license the product to dairy processors. The new product, Herschaer said, has impressed one of the world's top flavorists. The Shaka lineup features nearly every conceivable flavor of fruits, nuts and vegetables. The different combination of flavors total more than 450. In addition to retail outlets, Martin envisions Shaka sales through vending machines, where users could choose from a number of flavors. Martin taught at Morningside for 14 years before retiring two years ago. He previously taught at the University of Syracuse and University of Tampa.