About 25 years ago, “new age” beverages came to fruition. As formulations progressed and marketers chanced on bolder ad campaigns, the category metamorphasized into numerous “promise” beverages—promise of endurance, promise to refuel, promise to stay awake, promise to build lean muscle, promise to satiate, promise to refresh and even promise to dance until last call.
Two of the most-popular promise categories are described as sports drinks and energy beverages. Sports drinks encompass a spectrum of formulations—beverages designed for before, during and after exercise. Energy drinks, on the other hand, have little to do with organized activity and are more about being alert. They are designed to deliver a benefit that is immediately effective and detectable. From young clubbers determined to see the sun rise to grad students pulling an all-nighter, energy drinks promise to keep you awake and functioning.
Hybrid beverages have emerged between these two categories. These drinks are marketed as providing just the right amount of stimulation to keep today’s fast-track consumer productive and effective all day long. According to the new “Global Sports Drinks” report from Zenith International Ltd., Bath, England, such innovations are fueled by consumer interest in health and wellness.
Targeted formulations
New formulation and ingredient developments have helped broaden consumption occasions and target new consumer segments, with new products now available for all ages and activity levels.
“Carbohydrate content is a key point of differentiation between ‘sports’ drinks and ‘energy’ drinks,” says Adam Schretenthaler, director of product strategy, CytoSport, Benicia, CA. “Sports drinks designed for consumption prior to performance will contain 6% to 7% of rapidly absorbed and digested carbohydrate. Energy drinks contain more carbohydrate for sustained energy, usually in the range of 12% to 14%. Of course, there are now sugar-free energy drinks in the marketplace, which really is an oxymoron, because these drinks, by definition of the term energy, should contain sugar, or some form of calorie-contributing carbohydrate. Nevertheless, these drinks rely on calorie-free stimulants such as caffeine.”
To formulate fast energy into a pre-performance sports drink or a “keep-me-going” quick drink, multiple carbohydrate sources are a smart choice. “Different carbohydrates break down into energy through different metabolic pathways,” says Schretenthaler. “So, when a drink has a variety of carbs, they can be digested simultaneously, providing the consumer with numerous jolts of energy.
“Both sports and energy drinks rely on caffeine for noncaloric stimulation, but sports beverages tend to contain lower amounts and usually rely on extracts from the guarana plant, which are a natural source of caffeine,” continues Schretenthaler. “Both types of drinks will also contain B vitamins, but energy drinks usually have higher levels.”
Rodger Jonas, director of national sales, P.L. Thomas & Co., Inc., Morristown, NJ, adds: “Yerba maté dry extract is another all-natural source of caffeine. It contains about 8% caffeine, while guarana is about 12% caffeine.” Indeed, most energy beverages promote the inclusion of a cocktail of stimulants, including those based on caffeine and others associated with cellular energy production.
Another important point of differentiation is pH. “Sports drinks run on the higher side, usually around pH 3.5,” says Schretenthaler. “This prevents upsetting the stomach during exercise. Energy drinks tend to be more acidic—usually between pH 2.7 and 3.0—as this helps mask the high levels of caffeine and B vitamins added for stimulation.”
The sports-drink category includes post-exercise beverages, also known as recovery drinks. “Sports-recovery drinks will always have a protein component,” such as blends of dairy proteins, notes Schretenthaler, as well as carbohydrate and fat. “These drinks are designed to refuel muscles, and thus need a complete mix of nutrients.”
Boston-based sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, author of “Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” notes that “studies suggest that carbohydrates combined with protein may create a better muscle refueling and rebuilding response.”
Carbohydrates digest into glucose, and that glucose is “gasoline” to the muscles, notes Clark. Glucose gets stored in the liver to maintain normal blood-glucose levels that fuel the brain. Glucose also gets stored in the muscles as glycogen. During prolonged exercise, levels of glycogen in the muscles and liver are tapped. Glycogen depletion is associated with fatigue. Thus, to stay energized, it is necessary to refuel with carbs. However, carbs do not build or repair muscle. Protein does that job, she notes.
Protein promises
Several performance beverages on the market today promote protein in the ingredient listing. “There are many high-quality proteins, but some are more beneficial than others,” says Kimberlee Burrington, dairy ingredient applications coordinator, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (WCDR), UW-Madison, WI. WCDR is part of the Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), Rosemont, IL–sponsored National Dairy Foods Research Center Program.