High-Octane Bars and Beverages

November 2001

Zip through the day with verve and dash! Achieve amazing feats of endurance! Remain vigorous when all others are completely exhausted! Sound too good to be true? Tongue-in-cheek advertisements notwithstanding, such claims for high-energy products probably are too good to be true. However, even if energy products can’t exactly work miracles, they might help transform weariness and fatigue into vim, vigor and vitality.

How do high-energy products help produce “get up and go”? In several ways: First, by providing fuel (such as carbohydrates); next, by providing nutrients essential for metabolism (such as the B vitamins); and finally, by providing stimulants that affect the nervous system (such as caffeine). To be strictly accurate about it, nutrients and stimulants do not actually contribute “energy” as such, but for our purposes we will consider them as “high-energy” ingredients based on their not-inconsiderable energetic effects on the body.

Although some products promise strictly carbohydrates or solely caffeine, most high-energy products are intended to jump-start energy in one or more of the possible methods. In all cases, naturally there are many factors to consider when creating such products. From formulation and regulations to research and trends, let’s explore the many aspects of this flourishing category.

To market, to market
Technically speaking, most foods and beverages provide some sort of fuel to the human body. “We could call Coca-Cola® or any other cola ‘energy’ drinks,” observes Philip Katz, president of Shuster Laboratories, Inc., Canton, MA. “These beverages deliver simple sugars for a burst of energy, and are loaded with caffeine for a little buzz. These products have always been perceived as simply refreshing beverages, but the fact of the matter is that they’re energy drinks as well.”

Consumer perception, marketing and labeling, as it happens, are all important elements of the segment known as “energy” products. So what exactly are these? For all intents and purposes, the answer is simple — any product that 1) contains an efficacious amount of carbohydrates and other “energetic” ingredients; and 2) purports, by way of its labeling or advertising, to be an energy product (but remember, the FDA has no official definition for this term).

Potentially, this opens up a huge marketing category — after all, many foods and beverages could be considered high-energy foods. Take Post Grape-Nuts®, for example. This wheat and barley cereal has 47 grams of carbohydrates (5 grams sugars, 37 grams other carbohydrates and 5 grams dietary fiber) per half-cup serving, along with 25% (Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000-calorie diet) thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, and 15% magnesium. The cereal also contains 6 grams per serving of protein, another source of energy. With its complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, Grape-Nuts cereal fulfills part one of our high-energy product definition by containing efficacious amounts of energetic ingredients. And, the cereal is marketed with the slogan “Discover the Energy™,” fulfilling the second — i.e., labeling or advertising — requirement.

Now let’s take a look at another cereal, Quaker Toasted Oatmeal® Squares. This product has 44 grams of carbohydrates (9 grams sugars, 31 grams other carbohydrates and 4 grams fiber) and 6 grams of protein per 1-cup serving, along with 25% (Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000-calorie diet) thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, zinc and vitamin B6; 100% folic acid; 20% phosphorus; and 15% magnesium. The cereal easily fulfills the energetic ingredient requirement — but what about the labeling requirement? As it happens, there’s no mention of energy on the product’s packaging. Is it a high-energy product? Technically yes, but in effect, no — which illustrates why perception and marketing are key elements to consider when talking about these products.

So, when it comes to high-energy products, Grape-Nuts is, from a market perspective, something of an anomaly given its form. “For the most part,” says Katz, “we’re seeing two forms of high-energy products in the marketplace today — bars and beverages. If you talk to young adults especially, both energy bars and beverages are becoming more and more of a mainstay. The bar, especially, is really talking off in this country.”

Tim Corliss, associate brand manager, Clif Bar Inc., Berkeley, CA, agrees: “If you look at all the channels where energy bars are sold, the estimates we have of the overall market are between $500 and $700 million. It’s one of the only food categories out there that’s been consistently growing in double digits.”

Whether in bar or beverage form, “high-energy comes with the concept of convenience and being able to gulp or chomp the product down while you’re expelling your energy,” notes Katz, “which is why beverage powders are more of a niche market — you’re not going to buy that and run with it, you’re going to buy a big canister and make it up in your blender.”

If that kind of time investment means powders are best for the serious athletes among us, that’s not to say that bars and non-powder-based beverages aren’t for dedicated energy-seekers. For example, “The market for our 151 Bar™ is everyone from athletes and housewives to on-the-run executives and anyone seeking a nutritional meal replacement,” says Ed Haisha, marketing and public relations director for Omni Nutraceuticals Inc., Los Angeles. The line of bars, as its name indicates, contains 151 vitamins, minerals, herbs, antioxidants, enzymes and vegetable extracts, many of which fall into the high-energy ingredient category.

Formulation considerations
“Whatever the formulation,” says Haisha, “first and foremost, the product should provide true benefit — i.e., it should work. If consumers try a product and receive little or no noticeable benefit, they are unlikely to purchase it again. Secondly, quite simply, it must taste good — which is a challenge without having to resort to refined sugars. And, depending on the active ingredients, flavor masking can certainly become a major obstacle, although taste is less of an issue in the health-food trade than the mass market.”

Katz points out that initially, “a lot of these products tasted pretty nasty — and some of them still do. But some marketers aren’t going for the retail outlet, they’re going for people who are into bodybuilding or bike racing and who don’t care about flavor. For some niche markets, it maybe even makes the consumer feel better if it doesn’t taste good.”

With regard to design, continues Katz, “you need to make a decision — are you going for the mainstream market or a niche market? In other words, who is your customer going to be? The answer to that defines the form, the flavor profile and even some of the ingredients.”

Establish the concept first, he recommends, then begin formulation work. Overall, “many products are trying to approach the mass-consumer market, so we’re seeing a lot of different flavor variations, and taste and flavor are becoming more and more important,” he says.

One energy-product company, in fact, was built entirely upon the premise of making better-tasting energy bars. For baker and cyclist Gary Erickson, it came to the point where, despite his hunger, he “couldn’t take another bite” of the energy bar he had taken along on a day-long, 175-mile bike ride in 1990. He decided to make his own bar, and today his company makes a wide range of soy-based energy bars in flavors such as carrot cake, cranberry apple cherry, chocolate almond fudge, chocolate chip peanut crunch, chocolate brownie and apricot.

Genuinely good-tasting products and delicious-sounding flavors are two key elements that Clif Bar Inc. uses to set its all-natural bars apart from the rest of the crowd, says Corliss. “It’s not easy for consumers to distinguish between energy-bar products, so we differentiate ourselves with taste,” he explains. In general, he says, chocolate and peanut butter tend to be the most popular flavors. However, “we also strive to come out with flavors, such as carrot cake, that are a bit different, and we’re constantly looking for new flavors.”

Katz explains that you have to be “innovative in developing flavors, especially when you’re working with soy protein. You don’t want to enhance the soy-protein flavor, which isn’t necessarily something people in the mass-consumer market like.” Chocolate masks the protein flavor well, he observes, but naturally it’s more difficult with subtle flavors, such as strawberry and vanilla. However, “thanks to deflavorized soy-protein concentrates and isolates,” he adds, “it’s getting easier and easier to formulate protein bars and protein smoothies without having flavor issues.”

Speaking of flavor issues, “when working with guarana, which is used in many energy beverages, you have a challenge because guarana doesn’t taste very good,” notes Katz. “It’s bitter, and you have to mask that with other flavors.” In most beverages, he observes, guarana’s flavor is masked with citrus and other fruity flavors.

In general, flavor development and shelf life are two of the more significant challenges of formulating high-energy foods, notes Katz. “In the case of bars, although these products have sell dates of up to a year, we’re finding in our work that some of them don’t make it from a flavor standpoint.” He recommends testing to make certain that products maintain their flavor characteristics over the amount of time stated on the label. “You need to deliver the product in a stable form that will meet consumer expectations,” he observes.

Regulatory and labeling issues
When formulating energy products, labeling requirements are a major concern, says Haisha, who feels that often it’s best to leave such matters to the experts. “The problem is,” he explains, “many try to save a few dollars in the beginning by doing it themselves, only to later find themselves facing fines that are greater than the cost of having done it right in the first place.”

A few companies have indeed run into trouble, confirms Katz. “The FDA has notified several companies utilizing certain ingredients in what are clearly foods that they may not have approval to use those ingredients.” The key, of course, is whether the product is a food or a supplement. If a food, it is regulated by NLEA (Nutrition Labeling and Education Act), and if a supplement, it falls under DSHEA (Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act). “Ingredients that are not GRAS listed — such as (some) herbal extracts — can’t be put in foods,” explains Katz, “but can be put in supplements.”

However, “a supplement can be in food form as long as it doesn’t purport to be a food,” continues Katz. “With a bar or a beverage, that’s easy to do, but with a can of soup, it’s not. I know of several products in the sports-nutrition area that were marketed as foods, but because of some of their ingredients, they had to be relabeled as dietary supplements.”

“Since the category is so new, the labeling and regulatory requirements are still evolving,” observes Kristine Hinck, spokesperson for South Beach Beverage Co., Norwalk, CT. One of the company’s products, SoBe Adrenaline Rush, is a beverage supplement containing taurine (1,000 mg), d-ribose (500 mg), l-carnitine (250 mg), ginseng (50 mg) and guarana (50 mg), along with 300% of the Percent Daily Value (based on a 2,000-calorie diet) of vitamins B6 and B12. “To be safe, we put a warning (“Not recommended for children, pregnant women or persons sensitive to caffeine”) on the product, since the ingredient levels are probably higher than one expects from an 8.3-oz. can,” she says. “We are careful to list all ingredients and amounts on the can, so consumers know exactly what and how much of it they’re drinking.”

Another challenge in the regulatory area, observes Katz, is assaying ingredients present in microgram quantities, such as the B vitamins, to validate that the amount stated on the label is in fact present in the food. “It’s easy when you have a tablet,” he says, “but energy products are complex systems.”

For its part, says Corliss, Clif Bar, Inc. uses two methods to verify that its products fulfill FDA labeling requirements. “First, when our vitamin and mineral supplier delivers blends to us, it certifies that when we use the blend, we will be delivering the amount of the nutrient stated on the package. On the other hand,” he explains, “we send out bars from every single batch to nationally certified laboratories. The bars are tested to make sure we’re putting out bars that contain the amount of fats, proteins and sugars, etc., listed on the label.”

For bars and beverages containing soy protein, there’s also the question of deciding whether or not to include the allowed soy-protein health claim on the label. (In 1999, the FDA approved a claim for soy protein allowing companies to link consumption of soy protein to a reduced risk of heart disease on their labels.) His company, says Corliss, has chosen not to use the claim on any of its products because some qualify for the claim and some do not, and the company wants its labeling to remain consistent across product lines.
A number of energy-product companies are, however, taking advantage of the soy-protein claim. San Carlos, CA-based Imagine Foods, for example, has chosen to include the statement, “May reduce the risk of heart disease as part of a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet” on the label of its soy-based energy drinks. The drinks, which provide 10 grams of protein per serving of 11 fl. oz., are labeled as “high in soy protein.”

Metabolism 101
Up to now, we’ve been discussing energy products in rather general terms, but now it’s time for the nitty gritty — the mechanics of metabolism. Of course, the process is extremely complex, and involves many pathways and reactions. However, no matter what form high-energy products that affect metabolism take on, “energy means calories,” says Katz. “And calories can be split up in many different ways, but basically you’re talking about instant energy and sustained energy from simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates and protein.”

Most high-energy beverages contain between 30 grams and 40 grams of carbohydrates, a large proportion of which is sugars. Bar carbohydrate content ranges from 20 grams at the low end to 45 grams or more on the higher end, but in general, high-energy bars contain a greater proportion of complex carbohydrates (from grains, fruit purees, etc.) than high-energy beverages. There is at least one exception to this rule, however — a 16-fl. oz. energy drink from Twin Laboratories Inc., Ronkonkoma, NY, contains a whopping 400 calories and 100 grams of carbohydrates, 30 grams of which are sugars. Other carbohydrates in this beverage come in the form of maltodextrin and xanthan gum.

With protein contents ranging from about 3 grams up to 10 grams, most high-energy bars contain more protein than do high-energy beverages — with the exception of drinks that contain soy or dairy protein isolates. Such drinks typically have up to 10 grams of protein, while juice-based and/or carbonated beverages generally have no protein.

When human bodies ingest fuel in the form of carbohydrates, enzymes in the intestines break these down into simple sugars, and eventually the liver produces glucose (C6H10O6), the simplest sugar of all. Glucose is then absorbed by the bloodstream, and used in the mitochondrial region of cells and in the cell sap, which contains soluble enzymes involved in metabolism, to produce energy. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen (C6H10O5) in the liver and in muscles, or is converted to fat.

For sustained energy, complex carbohydrates (long-chain, i.e. 300 or more, glucose units) are key. They help maintain a steady blood-sugar level because it takes the body longer to disassemble them into glucose — which, as discussed, is the monosaccharide compound central to the energy equation. Consisting of certain sugars, starches, celluloses and gums, complex carbohydrates are found naturally in such foods as grains and legumes. These foods also contain a number of vitamins and minerals, which play vital roles in energy production. Vitamins and minerals are found in ingredients termed “simple carbohydrates” as well, which means that simple carbohydrates such as honey, grain-derived syrups (such as brown-rice syrup) and sucrose also contribute to the carbohydrate load of high-energy products, although they do not provide as much sustained energy.

Eventually, all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is cleaved in the energy-producing reaction called glycolysis. Glycolysis results in two pyruvate molecules, which are then used for further energy during respiration. Glycolysis also results in the net production of two molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a nucleoside compound that, in effect, “stores” energy. When the terminal phosphate of ATP is removed, the energy stored in ATP is released, leaving adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and inorganic phosphate. In turn, when the terminal phosphate of ADP is removed, energy is again released, leaving adenosine monophosphate and inorganic phosphate. The energy from these “breakdowns” is used for biosynthesis — to build life, in other words.

Metabolism 102
ATP and ADP are key components of the aforementioned aerobic breakdown of pyruvate, an energy-producing reaction frequently termed the Krebs cycle in honor of Hans Krebs, the 1930s researcher whose experiments illuminated the various steps involved in the reaction. In the Krebs cycle, one of pyruvate’s carbons is released, along with oxygen, as carbon dioxide, and the remaining two are joined to coenzyme A, which is a derivative of the B-vitamin pantothenic acid. The resulting compound, acetyl-coenzyme-A (which, incidentally, can be produced by breaking down fatty acids as well as carbohydrates) joins with oxaloacetate to form citrate.

Next, citrate is enzymatically oxidized and cleaved in a series of reactions that eventually results in one molecule of ATP. On the way, it is transformed into, among other compounds, isocitrate, alpha-ketoglutarate, succinate and fumarate. Enzymes involved in these transformations include pyruvate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase. The latter enzyme is involved in the breakdown of malate into oxaloacetate, which then reacts with acetyl-coenzyme-A. And — let’s see if you were paying attention — what do oxaloacetate and acetyl-coenzyme-A form? Citrate, of course, which sets the cycle in motion once again. (It takes two “revolutions” of the cycle to metabolize the acetyl-coenzyme-A produced by glycolysis.)

Accompanying the steps in citrate breakdown is a reaction that, at several points, reduces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is a derivative of the B-vitamin niacin, to NADH. NAD, which generally is referred to as NAD+ to indicate that it carries a positive charge, accepts two electrons and one hydrogen in the reaction. In turn, NADH is oxidized back into NAD+. In this classic example of an oxidation-reduction reaction, NAD functions as a coenzyme, meaning that it is vital to enzyme function. And without enzymes to catalyze energy-producing reactions, such as the aforementioned breakdown of citrate, we wouldn’t be able to function.

In addition to niacin and NAD, a number of other vitamins and vitamin derivatives play key roles in metabolism. For example, riboflavin’s (another B vitamin) derivative, flavin adenine di-nucleotide, is involved in the transformation of succinate to fumarate, one of the steps following citrate breakdown in the Krebs cycle. In the form of thiamine pyrophosphate, thiamin (vitamin B1) acts as a coenzyme in oxidative decarboxylation and other metabolic reactions, while adenosylcobalamin (the coenzyme form of vitamin B12) isomerizes 1-methylmalonyl coenzyme A to succinyl-coenzyme-A, which precedes succinate in the Krebs cycle.

Minerals also play a vital role in energy production by functioning as enzyme cofactors. In many cases, minerals are necessary either to stabilize enzyme-substrate reactions or to participate directly in the reaction. Zinc, for example, is essential for the proper function of enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase, lactate dehydrogenase and superoxide dismutase.

Although there’s much more involved in the glucose-to-energy transformation (such as the electron transfer chain and oxidative phosphorylation), let’s move on to the upshot of all this activity — every mole of oxidized glucose yields 686 kcal of energy, as summarized in this equation: C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 = 6H20 + energy. And that energy, of course, is why we eat food and why manufacturers put vitamins and minerals, in addition to carbohydrates, into high-energy products.

Beyond carbs and vitamins
Manufacturers also frequently incorporate amino acids such as taurine into high-energy products. Taurine is a non-essential amino acid that the body can synthesize from methionine and cysteine. However, because taurine is thought to enhance glucose and amino-acid transport in muscle cells — and because exercise depletes taurine stores — it is theorized that this amino acid can help boost energy.

As for protein in general, although it can serve as a source of energy, that’s not its main function. Rather, the body uses protein primarily for growth and tissue maintenance and repair. Excess protein is simply broken down by the body and burned as glucose, so protein does serve as an additional source of energy in high-energy products. Most Americans get plenty of protein though, so it’s probably moot in terms of the actual type of protein used. However, for formulators looking for a bit of added value, soy protein, with its healthful isoflavones and allowed “heart healthy” label claim might be a good option.

The actual type of soy protein used will not affect the protein health claim as long as the product is formulated to contain 6.25 grams soy protein per serving, but those looking to increase the isoflavone content have to be more selective. “Most manufacturing processes will wash some or all of the isoflavones away,” says Laurent Leduc, vice president of sales and marketing, North America, Schouten USA Inc., Minneapolis. “Most soy protein concentrates and isolates on the market have from 0 to 3 mg isoflavones per gram. Even in producing a ‘light’ soymilk, you will lose about a third of the isoflavones as compared to a regular soymilk.”

Isoflavones are soluble in alcohol, so alcohol-washed soy concentrates only contain about 12% to 20% of the isoflavones of water-washed concentrates. Isoflavones also are lost when manufacturing soy isolates. To replace and/or supplement those isoflavones in a protein-fortified product, Leduc recommends a soy germ product: “SoyLife™ contains 23 mg isoflavones per gram with 40% protein content. In addition, because the ingredient is derived from the germ, it supplies vitamin E, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids.” To achieve the health-promoting effects of isoflavones, studies indicate a daily recommended intake of 30 to 80 mg isoflavones. The average Western diet only provides 5 mg isoflavones per day.

And then there’s fat. Fat is, of course, another source of energy (fatty acids are oxidized to produce ATP). However, in the interest of creating healthful products, most manufacturers try to limit the fat content as much as possible, so we’ll limit our coverage of fat and fat metabolism to one comment from Corliss: “We try to deliver taste without using a lot of fat, but to make things taste really good, you need fat. Small amounts of fat, even a gram, can make a huge difference to energy-bar taste.”

Herbals, extracts and other items
Last, but not least, in the high-energy ingredient lineup are various ingredients that, as Katz puts it, “give you a kick.” The main such stimulant in energy drinks, whether present as an additive or as part of a natural substance such as guarana, is caffeine. Caffeine is a white, bitter alkaloid (C8H10N4O2) that stimulates the central nervous system and can help decrease fatigue and increase alertness. This heterocyclic compound occurs naturally in coffee, tea, kola nuts, cacao, yerba maté and guarana — all compounds frequently included in energy products.

“There are two schools of thought on caffeine,” observes Richard Enticott, director of leaf tea sales, James Finlay and Co. Inc., Morristown, NJ. “On the one hand, you have products whose caffeine content is generally played down, and tea is one of those. But there’s a whole different set of consumers — and marketers who are looking to get to them — who buy products because they have caffeine.” An extreme example of this is a product called Water Joe, made by Water Concepts, Inc., South Barrington, IL. This product is simply water and caffeine — each 16.9-oz. bottle contains 60 mg of caffeine, about the same amount that’s in the average cup of coffee.

The energetic effects of astragalus, ginseng and ginkgo biloba — all frequently included in energy products — are somewhat more difficult to quantify and describe than that of caffeine, but these three items generally are considered to stimulate the mind and provide an “uplifting” effect.

And then there’s bee pollen, which is sometimes used in high-energy products because it contains just about every compound needed for life, including energy production. (Some have gone so far to say that bee pollen is nature’s “perfect food.”)

Finally, choline and creatine, two additional compounds with potential high-energy tie-ins, are worth mentioning. Choline, which is found in lecithin, is a precursor to acetylcholine, which in turn affects nervous-system function. (It is also part of phosphatidylcholine, the primary phospholipid of cell membranes.) Choline is purported to have positive affects on mood and alertness. Most high-energy products intended for the mass market do not contain choline. Most products intended for this market also do not contain creatine, although many energy/muscle-building products targeted toward athletes do contain this compound, which is involved in “recycling” ADP into ATP. It generally is available in ingredient form as creatine monohydrate.

High-energy outlook
So what’s next for the energy-product market? “Probably the best word to describe the market right now is crowded — there are new category entries popping up every day,” says Hinck, commenting on the beverage sector. However, she predicts that at some point the category will experience a fall-out, “once customers start holding the drinks to their claims of taste and functionality.” At that point, she foresees that only a few of the top brands will remain.

The same may prove true for energy bars, but in both cases, only time will tell. In the meantime, another energy product could potentially become more mainstream — energy gels. At this point, the gels, which Katz describes as “basically a toothpaste,” are used mainly by endurance athletes (triathletes and such), but according to Clif Bar Inc., “anybody engaging in aerobic exercise for an hour or more — football players, hockey players and the like — can benefit from energy gels.”

Heidi Kreuzer is a Chicago-area freelance writer. She can be reached at KreuzerInk@aol.com.

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