Arla Foods Ingredients is launching a new whey protein ingredient offering what the company claims is unparalleled performance benefits to manufacturers of sports nutrition products that are designed to aid recovery.
Lacprodan HYDRO.365, which will be unveiled at Health Ingredients Europe 2012.
It is a whey protein hydrolysate, a type of protein that the company says is considered to be the ‘gold standard’ among all sport nutrition proteins on the market today.
HYDRO.365 is described as a highly effective solution for athletes who require fast recovery after intense competitive events or training and workout sessions. Whey protein is, according to Arla, already known to be the most effective type of protein for aiding recovery, thanks to its rich amino acid content. But, said the company, whey protein hydrolysates like HYDRO.365 are scientifically proven to offer far-superior benefits because they are digested and absorbed more quickly, optimising the body’s muscle-building and repair response following exercise.
Demand for efficacious post-exercise recovery products among serious athletes – both professional and amateur – is said to be rising fast all over the world. According to Euromonitor, global sales of protein-based sports nutrition products rose by 59% to $5.4 billion between 2006 and 2011.
“Sales of protein-based sports nutrition products have risen strongly in recent years, but what these figures do not show is the fact that many consumers are also coming to recognise that not all proteins offer the same degree of benefits,” said Peter Schouw Andersen, Business Development Manager for Health & Performance at Arla Foods ingredients. “Increasingly, they are discovering that the very best ingredients – like HYDRO.365 whey protein hydrolysate – provide a level of effectiveness that is simply not available from other proteins, including other whey proteins.”
“In an era when the margin between winning and losing can be breathtakingly slim, elite athletes are constantly looking to maintain their competitive edge,” he continued. “They know they need to train hard to get results, but the frequency of strenuous training sessions typically has to be moderated to allow sufficient time to recover. Without proper recovery a sportsperson cannot hope to maintain peak performance and prevent problems such as muscle damage, dehydration and injury. HYDRO.365 is the perfect solution to meet their needs.”
“There has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of people taking part in endurance events.” Concluded Andersen. “The London Marathon is a great example. This year, 170,000 applied to take part, compared with 99,000 ten years earlier in 2002. This one example illustrates that more people than ever before now consider themselves to be serious athletes, even on an amateur basis, and they are demanding serious post-exercise recovery products to help them reach peak performance time after time.”
HYDRO.365 can be formulated into a range of sports nutrition product formats – ready-to-drink beverages (including clear beverages), powders, gels, bars and tablets. It is highly soluble, UHT stable, pH neutral and has a low bitterness profile.
