“The golden standard in sports nutrition”: Industry leaders expand on whey applications and its alternatives

31 Oct 2019 --- Sports nutrition is barreling toward the mainstream with its appeal reaching athletes, fitness enthusiasts and active consumers. Whey protein remains a key ingredient, while industry is getting creative with applications that satiate consumer demand for performance-boosting healthy indulgence. Leading industry players speak to NutritionInsight about expanding applications, the importance of dairy proteins and how plant-based alternatives are affecting the space.

According to Jordan Donohue, Business Development Manager, Sports Nutrition & Health Food at Arla Foods Ingredients, the market outlook is positive for dairy ingredients, driven by increasing consumer awareness of their nutritional value and functionality.

“Dairy ingredients are performing very well in the sports nutrition sector as rising demand for taste, nutrition and naturalness has spurred a lot of impressive product innovation. Due to their high-quality complete protein content, dairy ingredients are valuable components for food and beverage product developers looking to deliver quality nutrition and protein content. Dairy is the gold standard of proteins in the sports performance and nutrition area and that is not changing anytime soon,” says Mindy Leveille, Marketing Manager, Proteins at Kerry Taste & Nutrition. 

Innova Market Insights reports strong growth in sports-related positionings within mainstream food and beverage NPD. A 188 percent growth has been reported in new products with a high/source of protein positioning and a 65 percent rise in energy/alertness positions from 2013-2017 (excluding sports nutrition). The space is increasingly looking at both animal-derived and plant-based proteins.

Innovating with stand-out applications
Consumers seek to boost performance and gains, but at the same time, they want an added flavor profile that satisfies their need for indulgence. In a Kerry consumer survey about the three most important factors in choosing a protein product, 72 percent of consumers selected the flavor of the product, while 63 percent selected the texture of the product. To cater to this demand, industry is perpetually exploring novel applications and flavor combinations.

Dairy is the gold standard of proteins in the sports performance and nutrition area, Kerry says.“Trends that prevail through the whole food and beverage industry are extending into sports nutrition, and it’s our priority to help customers create new formulations that meet those needs. Alongside taste and effective hydration, recreational sports enthusiasts place strong emphasis on attributes like clean labels, convenience and functionality,” notes Vicky Davies, Global Marketing Director, Performance and Active Nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients. 

“We are investing a lot of time in flavor profiles, masking technologies and high protein food concepts,” explains Andrew Sturdy, Head of Product Development at Ornua Nutrition Ingredients UK. “In dairy-based products, birthday cake flavors have been very popular over the last year. Also, malty cereal milk flavor profiles are gaining a lot of popularity. For me, nothing beats a luxurious chocolate flavor. On the pre-workout and amino side, we’re seeing a wide range of flavor development requests with blue raspberry and pink lemonade being some of the favorites.”

“While powders remain the big chunk of the business, a lot of new consumer interest entering the category is convenience and on-the-go concepts including ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-eat products. There is also a new interesting concept of protein pockets or pouches,” notes Victoire Visseaux, Product Manager at Lactalis Ingredients. “While chocolate and vanilla remain the big sellers, it looks like consumers are open to more exotic flavors and refreshing applications with fruity flavors.”

Angus Rowland, Head of Innovation, Sports & Active Lifestyle at NZMP says that new formulations for sports nutrition are focused around functional protein innovations and added benefits beyond just protein content. Whether the application is a ready-to-mix powder, an RTD shake or a protein bar, manufacturers are looking to differentiate from the crowded market by including ingredients such as vitamins, fiber or probiotics. 

“We are developing a range of products that support this type of added benefits and also see growth across all applications for ‘HiLo’ formulations – high in protein and low in sugar. For protein specifically, we are innovating with functional ingredients that have a particular performance. For example, we are controlling the solubility and foaming for powder applications, making heat-stable proteins for RTDs and soft, stable proteins for bars,” he says.

Leveille notes that protein-fortified, RTD beverages are rapidly gaining popularity as consumers see the value in beverages with added protein. Coffee-flavored beverages are of high interest, as are protein-fortified smoothies and milk drinks.

“For many consumers, the twin desires of indulgence and trying to follow a healthy diet are a constant battle. Dairy proteins can help deliver improved taste and texture in a healthier format. An example of this is the growth in popularity of Greek-style yogurts with dairy protein providing indulgence in the form of improved mouthfeel, texture and taste in a reduced-fat or fat-free product. This trend is also being seen in the ice cream category with the growth of protein-enriched indulgent ice creams with lower calories and sugar,” Leveille adds. 

Moreover, advances in dairy processing techniques to influence the water binding and solubility of dairy proteins has resulted in the development of dairy protein bars that are more indulgent, while delivering higher protein levels and significantly lower sugar content than was possible in the past, Leveille continues.

“In many ways, whey is still the most important dairy ingredient for sports nutrition. From a protein standpoint, its amino acid profile is still second to none. Its functionality is expanding further into different product categories – drinks, bakery, yogurts, ice creams and so on,” notes Donohue.

How does the plant-based trend perform?
The trend for plant-based protein continues to grow as consumers look for transparency in their food ingredients. They are also seeking products with a reduced carbon footprint, says Rowland. 

Formulating with whey protein provides a more comprehensive amino acid profile, says Arla. However, the nutritional quality of dairy protein when compared to plant-based protein is well understood, and dairy remains the choice for consumers who are looking for the most effective source of complete protein. This is reflected in the percentage of products on the market that are dairy-based versus plant-based, he adds. 

“Plant proteins are starting to work in more applications, despite their grainy texture and often poor mouthfeel. However, if you want to formulate with a protein that provides a more comprehensive amino acid profile and superior functionality cross-category, whey is likely to be the better option,” says Donohue. 

“In order to have a nutrient-dense protein from plants we need to combine different sources of plant protein. Dairy protein is, therefore, the ideal one to use to cater to the body’s needs,” says Mathilde Guerville, Research Scientist at Lactalis Research and Development. 

“To get a complete amino acid profile, we often need to combine different sources such as pea protein with brown rice protein. Pea protein is usually low in methionine and cysteine whereas rice protein is low in lysine. Therefore, a combination of the two can complement each other well. Solubility is also a key factor when it comes to formulating a good-tasting beverage, with grainy mouthfeel being the number one challenge. There have been some impressive developments in the processing technologies of plant proteins over the last decade. These have really helped when formulating plant-based products” notes Sturdy.

According to Leveille, many plant protein sources provide a host of nutrients, such as complex carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. “One challenge is that they are lower in certain essential amino acids. Additionally, the protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of most plant proteins, with a few exceptions, is less than one. When formulating nutritional products with plant-based proteins, it is beneficial if different sources of plant proteins are used to complement deficient essential amino acid profiles,” she says. 

“Milk proteins contain all the essential amino acids in the right proportions to meet the body’s needs. This means that they are a good source to use in combination with plant proteins to improve the overall protein quality,” Leveille adds.

“More choice is good in any market, and we acknowledge that plant-based proteins are required by some consumers. But despite the growing options in the marketplace, whey protein continues to dominate. Dairy proteins are the most nutritionally complete protein available, offering unique macronutrients including high levels of branched-chain Amino Acids,” concludes Davies.

What’s next
The dairy industry is geared to respond to consumer needs for innovative nutritional products within the sports nutrition sphere. Manufacturers are employing novel, flavorful formulations and applications to reach consumers’ demands for healthy yet indulgent protein supplementation. Industry maintains that dairy ingredients remain the best option for sports nutrition applications and while the plant-based trend is influencing the space, it also presents hurdles that dairy has already overcome.

By Kristiana Lalou