New whey protein hydrolysate adds sparkle to crystal-clear sports drinks

Arla Foods Ingredients is injecting some fizz into the sports nutrition category with its new Lacprodan® HYDRO.Clear. The advanced 100% whey protein hydrolysate solution is specially developed for formulating sparkling protein waters.

Lacprodan® HYDRO.Clear is fat and sugar-free and delivers optimized taste, a low bitterness profile and long shelf life. It is lactose-free, low in energy, very low in salt and easy to flavour.

Full-scale factory trials have shown that Lacprodan® HYDRO.Clear can be used to produce sparkling water products. This makes it straightforward for sports drinks manufacturers to create crystal-clear, sparkling, high-protein RTD beverages with strong health credentials.

Joe Katterfield, Health and Performance Nutrition Development Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: "With Lacprodan® HYDRO.Clear it is possible to produce a great-tasting, high-protein sparkling waters. This means that sports nutrition brands can launch sparkling products as a novel product in its own right or as a range extension to existing RTDs .The concept is also ideal for lifestyle and soft drink brands, as it allows them to offer a great source of protein in convenient and refreshing on-the-go format that will appeal to all ages.”

Sales of sports protein drinks increased by an average of 9.5% a year between 2013 and 2017 and are forecast to grow by 8.4% annually between 2018 and 2022 – highlighting consumers’ thirst for these products.[1] Sales of functional and fortified waters, meanwhile, rose by 4% a year from 2013-2017 and are forecast to grow by 6% a year from 2018-2022. The carbonates segment is also robust, with a 22% a year increase in new launches globally between 2007 and 2017.[2]

Joe Katterfield added: “Market conditions are ideal for launching sparkling protein waters targeted at sports nutrition users, a group of consumers who are always on the look-out for products that deliver high levels of whey protein in a convenient format. However, for technical reasons – primarily related to issues around taste and bitterness – there are currently no sparkling protein waters on the market made exclusively with whey. In this respect, Lacprodan® HYDRO.Clear is a game-changer, enabling manufacturers to incorporate 100% whey protein hydrolysate into crystal clear carbonated beverages.”

ENDS

[1]Euromonitor 2018

[2]Innova Market Insights 2018