Harmonizing health benefits: Experts highlight innovation potential in sports nutrition

29 Jun 2023 --- The sports nutrition sector experienced a 9% growth in product launches from 2021 to 2022, according to Innova Market Insights. Industry professionals see opportunities to expand the segment by combining health benefits, targeting a more comprehensive range of consumers and using technology to improve efficacy and deliver new products. 

Nutrition Insight discusses the sector’s latest developments with Arla Foods Ingredients, Unibar, Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients, Fonterra and Gencor. 

“We can expect to see continuous development in personalization and more holistic formulations offering multiple benefits and addressing a wider range of concerns, including focus and mental awareness. This will further increase mainstream appeal,” says Birgitte Kynde Ravn, Sports Nutrition and Health Foods industry marketing manager at Arla Foods Ingredients. 

“As the market becomes more mainstream, it’s more important to offer products that deliver a pleasant sensory experience and allow manufacturers to combine nutritional quality with taste and texture,” she highlights. 

“From the elite athlete to the weekend warrior, consumers are looking for effective products to help them increase energy and output,” adds Sevanti Mehta, president of Unibar Corporation. 

“Active consumers understand how important supplementation can be when it comes to their performance and results and are looking for products that have multifunctional effects.”

Combining well-being with performance 
Ingredients that provide multiple health, well-being and performance benefits, like collagen and probiotics, are growing in popularity in the sports nutrition category, says Emily Navarro, global marketing manager at Lonza Capsules & Health Ingredients. 

Ravn expects more holistic formulations in sports nutrition, offering multiple health benefits (Image credit: Arla Foods Ingredients).“Key trends in the sports nutrition space include those associated with broader consumer health goals, such as joint health, energy and endurance and gut health, as well as lifestyle preferences like plant-based or vegan options.” 

“Providing tailored nutrition solutions that harmonize the brain and body is the next big trend we see for sports nutrition,” adds Paige Wilkinson, global marketing manager of Active Living at Fonterra. 

Consumer research by the company’s nutrition brand Nutiani shows that “global consumers are highly aware of the interconnectedness of health and that multifunctionality is the top health claim they are looking for in products.” 

Nutiani’s consumer data indicates that consumers strongly relate good physical well-being with better digestive, immune and skin health. Almost half of consumers believe mental well-being affects their ability to control their weight and exercise regularly. At the same time, more than seven in ten relate good digestive health to lower stress levels and better immune health. 

“Many of us are familiar with protein and its positive impact on physical well-being and muscle health, but what we find exciting is a combination of both protein and broad spectrum phospholipids to unlock valuable brain and body claims,” continues Wilkinson. 

“Naturally present in milk as part of the milk fat globule membrane, phospholipids are complex lipids clinically shown to support a range of mental well-being health benefits including staying positive and focused under stress.”

Expanding health focus 
Navarro sees that demand for products with digestive health benefits – such as probiotics – has risen among sports nutrition consumers looking to take their performance to the next level. Awareness of probiotics’ role in supporting exercise and endurance continues to grow. 

“Lonza’s TWK10 sports probiotic is clinically proven to support exercise performance, enhancing exercise endurance by up to 75%, modulating the gut microbiota,” details Navarro. 

“Originally sourced from Taiwanese kimchi, this ingredient meets increased consumer demand for plant-based, clean label solutions for energy and endurance. TWK10 sports probiotic has also been shown to improve body composition and reduce muscle fatigue.”

Navarro sees a growing demand for products with digestive health benefits – such as probiotics (Image credit: Lonza Capsules & Health).Another critical trend is the demand for healthy hydration, notes Ravn. Arla Foods Ingredients recently launched a “Rehydrate and Restore” concept that taps into this trend and demonstrates how brands can combine whey protein with electrolytes in beverages, RTD or powder shakes. 

“Fluid loss of just 2% reduces athletic performance by around 8%, and awareness of replenishing electrolytes is growing. Reflecting this, 29% of active consumers favor products with electrolytes while 37% look for added hydration when choosing products for exercise.” 

Athletes, casual exercisers and esports 
Mariko Hill, global innovation manager at Gencor, expects the sports nutrition category to take a more holistic view of the “everyday athlete” to improve daily wellness, performance and mental well-being. 

“Sports nutrition has expanded to be a broader category, appealing not just to athletes but to casual exercisers and people looking to stay active as they age. It is also moving toward a more inclusive category by catering to women and their specific needs and body types,” she adds.

Gencor expects to see more women-focused products in endurance, muscle strength and recovery and more “core products” (e.g., protein powders and beverages), including functional, branded ingredients. 

The new diversity of consumer needs creates opportunities and challenges, foresees Ravn. 

“Arla Foods Ingredients’ recent global survey highlighted a fragmented market stratified by different attitudes to sports nutrition and different exercise levels. We identified three distinct profiles with different attitudes to exercise, nutrition and protein. Depending on which one a particular consumer fits, he or she will likely seek out different ingredients.”

“One of the other segments we identified was ‘Active Nutrition consumers.’ Despite being very interested in healthy diet and nutrition, they’re less willing than the ‘Performance nutrition consumers’ to compromise on taste and texture.” 

Additionally, Navarro sees the emerging esports nutrition market as a highly promising off-shoot of the traditional sports nutrition space. 

“Just as with traditional sports, esports athletes work hard to reach peak physical and mental performance, meaning that there’s a new, fast-growing group of consumers seeking support to help them reach their gaming goals.” 

Athletes look for convenience, taste, natural source, affordability, simplicity and trust in nutrition, says Wilkinson. Performance nutrition needs
Fonterra’s 12-month Athlete Incubator Project aimed to identify future trends and opportunities for performance nutrition by taking a closer look at athletes considered the first movers in sports nutrition, shares Wilkinson. 

The project found that athletes look for six core nutritional aspects, regardless of discipline – convenience, taste, natural source, affordability, simplicity and trust. 

“Athletes identified the post-session recovery occasion as the area that required the most innovation, while palate fatigue is a key challenge for athletes that presents an opportunity to be creative with formats and flavors,” adds Wilkinson.

Finished product manufacturers must understand and research the competition regarding their specific ingredients, cautions Mehta. “For instance, using clinically studied extracts that are free from contaminants and easily digestible will create the best quality product that consumers can see and feel a difference from.” 

He highlights that Unibar Corporation’s CapZfuel has been clinically proven to aid in several health benefits for various consumer segments. 

“CapZfuel is a Capsicum annuum extract, derived from peppers, shown to burn existing body fat through a process called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) for enhanced energy, reduced fatigue and improved performance. Using fat as ‘fuel’ also allows for extended exercise duration by enhancing overall endurance for even better results.” 

Improving efficacy 
Delivery technology is crucial, adds Hill, especially when providing an efficacious, bioavailable dosage. She showcases scientific studies that support the potential of Gencor’s Levagen+, a bioavailable form of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), in joint health, sports recovery and sleep. 

“PEA is an endogenous fatty acid amide produced naturally in the body in response to injury and stress. PEA also influences the endocannabinoid system, thereby considered a safe and clinically-proven alternative to CBD.”

In addition, Gencor is investigating if the ingredient could play a role in recovery and discomfort management. Hill notes that consumers use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for this purpose, which have been shown to adversely affect one’s health over time.

Technology is key to delivering efficacious and innovative sports nutrition products note the experts.She continues: “One challenge we see in the sports nutrition industry is the use of doses smaller than those used in clinical studies. We always advise our customers that including the correct dosage is imperative so the end user can experience the product’s full potential.”

Innovation through technology 
Technology plays a “huge” role in sports nutrition innovation, highlights Ravn. Arla Foods Ingredients launched a new protein category through its patented separation technology, supplying commercial production of “pure BLG (beta-lactoglobulin), which represents the next generation of whey protein because of its unique nutritional profile.” 

“BLG-100 contains 45% more leucine – the main muscle-building amino acid – than commercially available whey protein isolates.” 

The ingredient also tolerates a wide range of pasteurization temperatures and works over a wide pH range, which is key to better taste, Ravn adds. 

New dosage form technologies further innovation in the sports nutrition sector in terms of ingredient efficacy and performance and consumer experience, adds Navarro. 

“Technologies open up a range of formulation possibilities for supplement brands to deliver multiple sports nutrition benefits to consumers in just one convenient dose.”

She explains that Lonza’s Capsugel Duocap capsule-in-capsule technology combines typically incompatible active nutrition ingredients into a single dose, with a smaller, powder-filled capsule inside a larger, liquid-filled capsule. 

“Alternatively, lipid multiparticulate technology can encapsulate and suspend multiple ingredients across various dosage forms including capsules, beverages or drink mixes.” 

By Jolanda van Hal