Hybrid formulas, casein innovation & cellular health fuel sports nutrition

The sports nutrition category is sprinting beyond basic muscle recovery toward multifunctional everyday wellness solutions that address gut health, mental clarity, and longevity. Younger consumers are driving demand for clear protein drinks, functional hydration, and hybrid formulas blending adaptogens and prebiotics. 

Meanwhile, innovations such as rennet casein for softer bars, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) precursors for cellular energy, and cortisol-balancing botanicals are transforming everyday formats into more targeted, high-density nutrition.

Nutrition Insight speaks to Lactalis Ingredients, Layn Natural Ingredients, Puris Foods, Gnosis by Lesaffre, and Arjuna Natural about the latest sports science, including clear pea protein innovations, solutions addressing joint support and arterial health, and new clinical research surrounding cortisol-balancing botanical extracts.

Overall category demand is driven primarily by younger generations and urban consumers leading active lifestyles, particularly in Asia, according to Elodie Macariou, senior product manager at Lactalis Ingredients. “Within protein products, clear beverages are experiencing strong growth, with offerings expanding into sparkling hydration drinks that align with current hydration trends,” she observes.

“In the coming years, we can expect to see an increasing number of hybrid formats that combine different protein sources with functional ingredients targeting cognitive performance, wellness, or digestive health.”

She adds that convenience will be a key innovation driver, with proteins increasingly integrated into daily routines — exemplified by novel formats such as protein-enhanced coffee. “Finally, as prices rise — particularly for proteins — affordable nutrition presents significant innovation opportunities. Tangible nutritional benefits and nutrient density per serving will become increasingly critical.”

Regarding popular ingredients, she sees an increasing trend of blending proteins with prebiotics and probiotics to address digestive health concerns. Ingredients linked to mental health — such as adaptogens — are also gaining popularity.

On the topic of synergistic ingredients, James Roza, CSO at Layn, adds: “Performance blends are moving away from dairy and are more plant-based and synergized with electrolytes for hydration, polyphenols (such as rhodiola) for endurance, and prebiotic fiber for gut health.”

Meanwhile, he observes that sports formulas are becoming more granular with a greater emphasis on cellular health for increasing energy, reducing inflammation, improving concentration, and removing “zombie” cells that are dysfunctional and can affect performance.

“The emergence of personalized formulations will continue to grow as well as the role pre- and postbiotics play in sports nutrition for metabolic support and better recovery.”

Lactalis Ingredients solves textural challenges

Lactalis Ingredients’ latest innovation in sports nutrition is the use of rennet casein in protein bars. While these are a popular on-the-go convenience that can be easily consumed after training, product texture remains a challenge to optimize and can often make it difficult to chew, particularly as the product ages, notes Macariou. 

“Rennet casein offers a functional solution to this challenge by maintaining a soft texture for longer and delivering superior chewability. Additionally, it provides excellent nutritional quality, being rich in essential amino acids with outstanding digestibility,” she explains.

She adds that casein has a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score of 1, which means it is a complete protein.

“Powder formats remain the market heavyweight but are losing market share to more convenient alternatives, such as ready-to-drink beverages and emerging, highly trendy formats like gummies.”

Lactalis Ingredients’ applications team supports customers in developing their products and innovations, guiding them through technical challenges. “The Applications team also develops finished product prototypes to build specialized expertise in specific applications, enabling them to provide optimal support for product utilization,” says Marcacriou.

“This product concept development also serves as an opportunity to inspire customers by identifying innovative opportunities — both for developing new formats and for enhancing existing products, as exemplified by our work on protein bars.”

Layn supercharges mitochondria

Layn Natural Ingredients points to its NAD+ precursor ingredient, which is based on nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a compound that is gaining popularity in the longevity field. Added to a daily health regimen, it may help support healthy levels of NAD+ in the body and optimize workouts while reducing recovery time, according to Roza.

“With age, the human body’s ability to produce NMN can decrease by as much as 50% by middle age,” he highlights. “NMN acts as a precursor to NAD+.”

“Lower levels of NAD+ can lead to cellular exhaustion and reduce mitochondrial energy production. Mitochondria are the powerhouses for cells in the body. Lower energy output from the mitochondria reduces stamina and increases workout recovery time.”

Another spotlighted ingredient is creatine, once known for energy, which Roza says is now being used to improve focus and is being added to sports formulas.

Puris Foods on beverage innovation 

In beverages, sports nutrition shakes and powders have dominated the space for years as the easiest way to consume protein. “Now, people want protein in everything from hydration drinks to ready-to-go options, making it easy to fit into their everyday lives,” says Kushal Chandak, VP of R&D at Puris Foods.

“That’s what drove the development of ClearP and, more recently, H2-IZO. H2-IZO is a hydrolyzed pea protein that helps formulators achieve high- protein levels with improved solubility and a much cleaner drinking experience,” he details.

“ClearP takes that a step further, making it possible to formulate clear protein beverages with plant-based protein, which has traditionally been a very difficult challenge.”

Chandak believes three trends will keep gaining strength in the future. “One of them will be protein-enriched hydration products. The second will be cleaner labels and shorter lists of ingredients. The third will be products that provide more specific benefits such as recovery, a feeling of fullness, or healthy aging rather than seeking to cater to all kinds of people.”

He also believes that protein will continue to feature across ordinary food and drink situations. “When consumers wake up, they don’t expect to have another protein shake; what they want are simple methods of obtaining quality nutrition from the products they are already eating, such as yogurt, cereal, savory snacks, and ice cream. As one customer recently shared with us: ‘Being able to rehydrate and replenish protein in a single product is a huge benefit.’”

Gnosis by Lesaffre supports arterial and joint health

Gnosis by Lesaffre highlights the potential of its Landkind pure salidroside and MyCondro chondroitin in sports nutrition. “Both exemplify sophisticated fermentation technology, resulting in low-dose, effective, and sustainable ingredients for active wellness and optimizing fitness routines,” says Lorena Carboni, senior global health marketing manager at the company.

“Pure Salidroside is the first fermented pure salidroside on the market, which helps preserve overharvested Rhodiola rosea, and has been shown at a dose of 30 mg twice daily to enhance oxygen uptake during high-intensity aerobic exercise and help minimize muscle damage following resistance exercise,” she details.

“As a result, Landkind Pure Salidroside has established brand-specific structure/-function claims that cover four key benefits sought after by athletes and active consumers: enhanced oxygen uptake, extended exercise performance, improved mood and stress response, and muscle support.”

Additionally, Landkind received Informed Ingredient Certification from LGC, verifying that the ingredient has been tested for more than 285 substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“MyCondro is the first vegan chondroitin sulfate made through precision fermentation,” continues Carboni. “Two pharmacokinetic studies have shown that it has superior bioavailability (+45%) compared to animal-derived chondroitin sulfate. Two human studies have shown efficacy for joint support at 600 mg/day, compared with up to 1,200 mg/day for conventional animal-based chondroitin.”

In one study, she notes that participants had an 11-point increase in the Tegner Lysholm Knee Score and a reduction in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) score, along with reduced pro-inflammatory compounds. “This was confirmed in a second two-month study in which participants had lower WOMAC scores and reduced C-reactive protein levels.”

“The latest news is about MenaQ7 and the VitaK-CAC trial. MenaQ7 vitamin K2 as MK-7 has been shown to significantly slow the progression of coronary artery calcification after two years,” says Carboni. “Why is this important? Because even healthy adults have some degree of arterial calcification, and individuals who engage in intense workouts are very proactive.” 

Arjuna Natural optimizes “Goldilocks” recovery zone

Chase Johnston, VP of operations, Arjuna Natural, underscores that sports nutrition is no longer singularly about muscle gains. “The conversation in gyms is shifting toward products and nutrition that support balance, calm, and cortisol control.”

Athletes also understand that what you do in the gym matters just as much as how you fuel your recovery, he adds. “Elevated cortisol levels long after workouts, due to poor recovery and high personal stressors, can have detrimental effects on performance. From brain fog to burnout, unbalanced cortisol levels can wreak havoc on the body.”

Arjuna Natural recently introduced Shoden-R, a root-only, water-soluble version of its Shoden ashwagandha extract, to help athletes and everyday active individuals get more out of their workouts and recover faster. The launch adds to its post-workout recovery ingredients such as BCM-95, a curcumin extract for joint health, and Rhuleave-K, a patented three-herb blend powered by Speedtech technology for fast muscle soreness relief.

“While too much cortisol is not good, a blunted cortisol response is equally detrimental,” Johnston stresses. “This can lead to low energy and fatigue and make individuals more susceptible to injury.”

Recognizing the importance of achieving balanced cortisol, Arjuna Natural recently conducted a three-arm, randomized placebo-controlled study to measure the effects of its highly potent ashwagandha extracts, Shoden and Shoden-R, on balancing cortisol levels using the Cortisol Awakening Response method.

According to Johnston, this “first-of-its-kind” study, which awaits publication, showed that both ashwagandha extracts can help bring cortisol levels to their “Goldilocks zone” and address concerns such as brain fog, poor sleep, and stress management — which he notes are all key benefits that today’s athletes and everyday gym-goers are looking for in their supplement stack.

Arjuna Natural recently created a ready-to-drink pineapple-flavored sparkling water product concept that is formulated with a clinically efficacious dose (60 mg) of Shoden-R. “Beyond beverages, we have also prototyped an orange mango chew with Shoden-R. With decades of functional food and beverage experience, we are willing to go to whatever lengths are needed to stand behind our ingredients and showcase their functionality.”