Spotlight on active nutrition innovations in convenient formats, sustainability and plant-based ingredients

The nutrition industry sees potential in the expanding sports nutrition market as more people seek an active, healthy lifestyle. From enhancing physical performance and recovery to overall well-being, the active nutrition space includes solutions for healthy indulgence and environmentally-minded consumers. 

Nutrition Insight discusses new delivery formats and popular ingredients in active nutrition with experts from Bioiberica, Lubrizol Life Science, FrieslandCampina Ingredients, AstaReal and ADM.

“Consumers seeking active nutrition solutions are often looking for products that target functional benefits like energy, joint and muscle health, metabolic health and endurance,” says Vanessa Villareal, strategic marketing and business development manager at Bioiberica. 

“Once popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts, active nutrition is now embraced by a broader audience, from busy professionals and parents who want to maintain an energetic lifestyle to older adults aiming to stay fit and independent for as long as possible. As active nutrition gains mainstream momentum, the innovation potential is growing rapidly.” 

Isabel Gómez, global marketing manager of Nutraceuticals at Lubrizol Life Science, says the market is strongly focused on ingredients that support muscle growth, strength and recovery, such as whey protein powder and creatinine.

“Caffeine is one of the most popular and productive ingredients in energy products, and another common ingredient for this market is taurine,” she adds. “The big hydration trend is also driving demand for electrolyte products.” 

Moreover, she sees a renewed interest in magnesium as a mineral and electrolyte because its need increases with physical activity. She points to magnesium’s benefits for physical fitness, including “energy production, muscle relaxation and recovery and normal blood pressure support.”

Consumer-centric formats

The experts observe a growing offering of delivery formats that go beyond traditional pills and capsules to cater to a broadening consumer group. 

Villareal says that format innovations help capture the interest of younger consumers unsatisfied with traditional formats.“Convenience is an important feature, especially for active consumers. We are therefore seeing a lot of innovation in on-the-go formats such as liquid gels and jelly formats, and more brands are innovating in delivery formats by offering powder or ready-to-drink (RTD) products,” observes Gómez. 

“Incorporating some ingredients that have poor taste, bioavailability or dispersibility into some of these formats is challenging, so finding new ways to introduce these ingredients without compromising the sensory attributes of the products remains a challenge.”

Villareal adds that format innovations mainly help capture the interest of younger consumers who are unsatisfied with traditional formats. “This demographic is pushing brands to think outside the ‘pill box’ to explore more convenient and appealing delivery options — like gummies and functional foods.”

She highlights the formulation benefits of the company’s hyaluronic acid matrix ingredient Mobilee due to its low dose efficacy of 80 mg/day, easing incorporation into convenient formats such as functional foods and beverages.

“It also shows resilience in functional food formulations, in which manufacturing processes can typically affect ingredient stability. In yogurt applications, for instance, Mobilee has remained stable during the product’s shelf life. We’ve also established validated analytical methods to evaluate Mobilee in multiple food matrices, like milk and yogurt — which is critical if formulators want to introduce functional ingredients into food formats.”

Additionally, Villareal notes that consumers pay closer attention to product labels such as nutritional profiles, natural ingredients, claims and accreditations. Bioiberica’s Mobility Report 2.0 finds that sustainability is a growing focus, with 51% of consumers saying they want sustainability claims on mobility products. 

Active nutrition meets indulgence

Vicky Davies, senior marketing director in Performance, Active and Medical Nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, points to a growing demand for products that “blur the line between nutrition and indulgence.” 

Davies points to a growing demand for products that blur the line between nutrition and indulgence.The company recently developed a mood-boosting s’mores protein bar concept in line with this trend, which includes 16 g of whey and casein protein in a low-sugar and high-flavor format. 

“Active consumers are arguably more discerning than the typical performance nutrition consumer — taste and texture are crucial in this category. This means high-quality ingredients that provide appealing sensory properties and high-quality nutrition are needed.” 

“Linked to this, there’s a big opportunity in the diversification of the active consumer base. For example, we’re seeing more seniors interested in staying fitter for longer, with many reaching for a protein-fortified yogurt or drink for the first time.”

Davies highlights that the company developed several product concepts containing its Biotis Fermentis for protein plus products, such as Uplift powder sticks, inspired by trending protein shakes to support digestion and recovery after exercise. 

“Our PowerPunch RTD concept is a complete fermented protein drink that doesn’t need mixing — for a nutritional boost and natural energy on-the-go.” 

Sustainable sourcing

Broader societal shifts to cleaner living and environmentally conscious choices are driving demand for plant-based, sustainable and vegan ingredients, says Dr. Behnaz Shakersain, scientific affairs manager at AstaReal. “Sound science, full traceability and natural sourcing are now key considerations in selecting ingredients for active nutrition products.” 

There is a growing offer of plant-based protein to cater to sustainability-minded active nutrition consumers.She points to the potential of algae-derived ingredients like AstaReal’s astaxanthin antioxidant in this space. This ingredient, derived from planet-friendly microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis, combines environmental benefits with various health applications, such as athletic performance and recovery, skin, metabolic and cognitive health. 

“As the industry moves forward, the challenge will be to develop effective, sustainable and transparent products from source to shelf,” Shakersain cautions. 

“Consumer education on the specific benefits of ingredients like astaxanthin is also crucial in a competitive market. To overcome these challenges, AstaReal focuses on microalgae cultivation practices with less environmental impact and offers fully traceable products that meet vegan standards, with their efficacy supported by rigorous scientific research.” 

Meanwhile, she notes that protein remains at the top of the ingredients’ wishlist for active nutrition. “Therefore, research is shifting toward plant-based and more sustainable alternatives to animal-based products.”

“At the same time, investigations into the compatibility and synergistic effects of plant-based proteins with complementary nutraceuticals that provide holistic support at a cellular level are gaining steam.” 

Plant-based proteins

High-protein active nutrition products to facilitate post-exercise muscle recovery are in continued demand as consumers prioritize muscle repair. ADM’s Vaughn DuBow, senior director in Product Portfolio Marketing for Health & Wellness, says these products are increasingly designed to appeal to a broader consumer base interested in plant-based solutions. 

“While whey is still popular, plant proteins like soy and pea support new high-protein content offerings. Soy and pea can also be combined with whey for blended active nutrition products like shakes and bars, further elevating protein content and providing ingredient diversity. Many global consumers believe it is healthier to get protein from a wide variety of sources.”

He also says clean label formulations with ingredients derived from natural sources, such as botanicals and plant extracts, are in the spotlight. This trend reflects consumers’ preferences for transparency in sourcing and ingredients deemed “closer to nature.”

ADM supports the movement toward plant-based ingredients with innovations in plant proteins such as soy and peas that provide in-demand amino acids for muscle growth and repair. 

“Soy is one of the few non-animal proteins that is a ‘complete protein’ with a PDCAAS (protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score) of 1,” says DuBow. This method evaluates the quality of a protein based on humans’ amino acid requirements and their ability to digest it.

“Our highly functional soy and pea proteins fortify applications for high protein content and diversity, maximizing nutritional value. Our plant proteins are also clean-tasting and offer different textural functions, whether creaminess in a protein shake or chewiness in a protein.” 

He adds that ADM’s plant-based ingredients work alongside the company’s TasteSpark flavor modulation technology and flavors portfolio. This ensures “consumer-preferred sensory experiences that go beyond acceptance and elicit enjoyment of active nutrition products even in everyday routines.”