Athletes have always struggled to fuel their bodies.
By the 1960s, scientists realized that drinking carbohydrate solutions during exercise improved performance. Using a mixture of sugar, salts, and lemonade, the first sports drink was born.
But carbohydrate-rich drinks can cause problems. Our stomachs don’t handle high sugar concentrations well, often resulting in slower stomach emptying and GI problems.
At Maurten they have launched a new range of sports fuels by using hydrogel technology to develop carbohydrate-rich and natural sports drinks and energy gels that our bodies can tolerate.
Based on only natural ingredients
By using hydrogel technology, Maurten has increased the amount of carbohydrates, reduced the risk of gastrointestinal problems and removed all unnecessary ingredients that do not benefit your performance.
Twice as much energy – the Drink Mix 320 contains nearly 14 percent – or 80 grams – carbohydrates when mixed. That is about twice as much energy ever thought possible in a sports drink.
No added flavor – At Maurten, we are not impressed by artificial flavors. You can taste what you are consuming in the flavor of our drink mixes.
Clean – no added colours or preservatives. Maurten sports fuel contains exclusively natural ingredients. Nothing more and nothing less than what is necessary.
DRINKS: HOW DOES IT WORK?
Mix the Drink Mix 320 and 160 with water and you have a liquid sports drink with high concentrations of carbohydrates. The drink is immediately converted into hydrogel in the acidity of the stomach, encapsulating the carbohydrates. The hydrogel then ensures a smooth transport of the sports drink through the stomach to the intestine where the water, salt and carbohydrates are absorbed.
GEL: HOW DOES IT WORK?
The GEL is a hydrogel – a biopolymer matrix that holds carbohydrates. It is based on the same concept as all Maurten drinks, where the hydrogel technology allows for a smoother transport of carbohydrates through the stomach to the intestine, where the carbohydrates are absorbed. In the case of these drinks, the hydrogel is formed in the acidity of the stomach – but the GEL is a hydrogel that is formed during production by combining sodium alginate and calcium carbonate under precise conditions.
MEET HYDROGEL
Hydrogels are widely used in the food industry, often as thickening and structuring agents. A hydrogel is a biopolymer and water-based structure with very small pores. As a three-dimensional network with the ability to retain water, it looks and behaves a bit like a kitchen sponge.
At Maurten, they have found a way to make hydrogels with natural food ingredients. And they have filled the structure with the most efficient energy source there is: carbohydrates.
The hydrogels in the sports drinks are made up of a combination of two natural ingredients:
- Alginate – extracted from the cell walls of brown algae.
- Pectin – found in apples, lemons, carrots, and tomatoes, to name a few.
These two dietary fibers have been used in the food industry for decades. Combined under just the right conditions, alginate and pectin form a pH-sensitive hydrogel.
