Creatine citrate or nitrate has long-established benefits for sports performance because it has been shown to increase power, strength and muscular endurance. There is also growing evidence that it can offset the loss of lean tissue mass in elderly people and trauma patients.
However, it is highly unstable in water, reducing its effectiveness in ready-to-drink products.
AnaBio said it has solved this problem with a microencapsulation technique that protects against breakdown in water. Active TR Creatine citrate or nitrate is only released on ingestion, opening up potential for use in snacks, gummies, gels, carbonated energy drinks and protein beverages.
Industry challenges
Tony Gay, head of new product development at Prinova, said the instability of creatine in fluids has long been a challenge for the sports supplement and nutrition industries.
“We’re enormously excited to present a solution that opens up major possibilities for new products,” Gay said.
“The most obvious applications are sports nutrition drinks but we foresee opportunities for creatine to feature in a wide range of dietary supplements, functional beverages and health products.”
Active TR Creatine Citrate or Nitrate is more stable against moisture and liquids than any other form of creatine, offering optimum shelf life as well as bioavailability. In a recent clinical study of human subjects, AnaBio found it was stable against moisture and water-based products and stomach acid, and its flavor and texture were preferred to that of a “non-encapsulated” generic creatine.
Active TR range
There were also significantly elevated levels of intramuscular creatine and gains in lean body mass in the volunteers who supplemented with Active TR Creatine citrate or nitrate, indicating effective delivery to the muscles.
The micro-encapsulated creatine citrate or nitrate is part of AnaBio’s Active TR range, which is distributed by Prinova. Other products include Active TR L-Leucine, Active TR Caffeine, and Active TR Beta-Alanine.
DairyReporter spoke with AnaBio’s science director, Dr Robert Kent, at the recent Vitafoods event in Geneva, Switzerland, about its products and upcoming plans.