OmniActive’s sustained-release caffeine ingredient backed by pharmacokinetic study

04 May 2021 --- OmniActive Health Technologies (OmniActive) has unveiled new pharmacokinetic data that supports increased bioavailability and mood-enhancing properties of its energy ingredient Xtenergy compared to immediate-release (IR) caffeine. 

Xtenergy is a six to eight hour sustained-release caffeine from green coffee beans, developed using a solvent-free process and spray melt technology that coats caffeine granules.

“While consumers want their energy to be experiential, who wants a steep ascent only to come crashing down hours later more tired than before?” Deshanie Rai, vice president of global scientific and regulatory affairs for OmniActive, tells NutritionInsight. 

“The sustained release of caffeine allows Xtenergy to deliver on key nootropic benefits that consumers want throughout the day.”

The solution is positioned toward busy, active consumers as well as gamers looking for a combination of natural, nootropic benefits like alertness and focus to optimize performance at “work, home or during play.”

Click to EnlargeXtenergy sustained-release caffeine is positioned toward busy consumers and gamers.Investigating the benefits of sustained energy
The recent paper published in Current Research in Behavioral Science compared the bioavailability of Xtenergy with IR caffeine. A secondary objective was to measure the effect of Xtenergy on nootropic benefits, such as alertness and mood.

Twenty-four healthy subjects received a single dose of 200 mg/capsule per day of Xtenergy or 99 percent IR caffeine. 

IR caffeine resulted in a prompt increase in absorption that peaked within the first hour but was followed by a sharp decline immediately thereafter up until 24 hours. 

However, Xtenergy peaked around four hours, about a 325 percent increase versus IR caffeine. 

Furthermore, it remained in the blood approximately 21 percent longer than IR caffeine.

Xtenergy was also associated with feelings of being more alert, less tired, better overall mood, less jittery and less tense versus IR caffeine.

Plasma caffeine levels were analyzed by a validated liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) method and the Caffeine-Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure feelings of relaxation, alertness, jitteriness, tension and overall mood.

Click to EnlargeThe ingredient is suitable for use in tablets, powders, stick packs and capsules.Secret to sustaining 
Xtenergy was developed with the key feature of avoiding a caffeine crash. 

Its sustained-release profile is obtained by coating active granules through a direct melt coating. 

“This spray melt technology does not compromise the amount of actives delivered to the blood and this has been validated in our most recent clinical study,” says Rai. 

“The excipients used are from steric acid, which is a vegetarian source, microcrystalline cellulose and food glaze.”

Its format makes Xtenergy suitable for use in tablets, powders, stick packs and capsules.

Naturality and positive processing
Kimberly Smith, chief marketing officer of OmniActive, explains that the health benefits of Xtenergy along with this new piece of science will help its customers further stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

“Not all energy is the same and the needs of the market are evolving,” Smith says. She notes that in niche segments like e-sports and gaming, “a competitive advantage is key.”

Rai affirms that Xtenergy can address the energy needs of the modern-day consumers looking for natural solutions, whereas synthetic options have traditionally saturated the energy ingredients category.

Xtenergy was officially launched in 2019 at Supply Side West in Las Vegas, US. 

The latest in Omniactive 
In January, private equity firm TA Associates acquired a significant stake in OmniActive Health Technologies.

This follows a year of adaptation to changes spurred on by COVID-19, that affected “every single area” of OmniActive’s business operations. 

In other natural solutions for energy and focus, Nature’s Bounty recently released a no-caffeine jelly bean, positioned for the e-sports and brain health categories. 

Meanwhile, Ingredients by Nature launched Eriomin Esport this year to help improve gamers’ real-time and long-term performance and recovery. 

By Missy Green

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