Sports nutrition and electrolytes: mask unwanted notes with Metarom solutions

Sports nutrition: a complex and booming market

The sports nutrition market is booming, driven by growing demand for products that combine performance and well-being. Whether they are high-level athletes or fitness enthusiasts, consumers are looking for nutritional solutions that optimize endurance, recovery and hydration. As a result, sports drinks, energy bars and meal replacements are proliferating on the market.

One of the key ingredients in these products is electrolytes, an essential component for maintaining hydration and supporting muscular activity. Naturally present in the body through sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, electrolytes must be replenished after exercise to avoid dehydration and improve recovery. However, these minerals, although essential to the development of sports nutrition products, can pose problems for manufacturers. Their often metallic, astringent or bitter taste can be off-putting to consumers.

Similarly, proteins — also ubiquitous in sports nutrition products — are essential for muscle rebuilding and energy supply. And although vegetable proteins are winning over a growing number of consumers, they also have undesirable notes and have an earthy or lingering taste.

Given these constraints, manufacturers wishing to position themselves in this market are faced with a major challenge: how can they offer products that offer performance yet taste good? In order to arrive at such a product, they have to find ways of masking these undesirable notes while highlighting flavors that appeal to sports fans.

Sports fans' favorite flavors: fresh and delicious

Sports nutrition products need to offer a pleasant taste experience to build consumer loyalty. And for good reason, athletes, whether amateurs or professionals, prefer flavors that offer both performance and pleasure. Among current trends, there are certain flavor categories that stand out.

On the one hand, refreshing flavors are popular, especially in isotonic drinks and energy gels. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and grapefruits, are particularly appreciated for their freshness and energizing effect. Red berries, such as raspberries and blackcurrants, are also attractive for their balanced acidity, which effectively masks the bitterness of electrolytes.

On the other hand, gourmet notes remain essential, particularly in protein bars and powders for dilution. This segment is largely dominated by chocolate and vanilla, as they provide a sense of comfort and satiety — essential for consumers looking for post-workout snacks. Exotic flavors, such as coconut and mango, are also gaining ground, offering a touch of originality that appeals to those who love to try new things.

But attractive as they are, these flavors need to be intelligently integrated into formulations to compensate for the sensory shortcomings of functional ingredients. This is where flavoring solutions play a role, such as Acti'Mask, which masks unwanted notes.

Acti'Mask: innovation for taste and performance

To meet the expectations of consumers and manufacturers alike, Metarom has developed Acti'Mask, a range of flavors specially designed to mask undesirable notes. Thanks to its formulation expertise, Metarom offers solutions that improve taste perception while preserving the nutritional benefits of products.

The Acti'Mask principle is based on several sensory levers.

• Firstly, it acts directly on taste receptors to reduce the perception of bitter and metallic notes.
• Secondly, it adds roundness of flavor, balancing dominant notes and improving mouth feel.
• Finally, it allows the desired flavors to be fully revealed, by limiting the interference of proteins or electrolytes which could alter their intensity.

This technology is particularly well-suited to the new generations of high-protein products, especially those formulated with plant proteins such as pea, soy or rice. It is also invaluable for electrolyte-enriched drinks, softening astringency and providing a more natural sensation of freshness.

Tailor-made solutions for trend-setting formulations

One of the great advantages of Acti'Mask is its flexibility of application. Whether in liquid or powder form, it integrates easily into food matrices without altering product stability. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in a wide range of applications, from energy drinks to high-protein dessert creams, gels and nutritional bars.

In a fiercely competitive sports nutrition market, the sensory dimension cannot be left to chance. Consumers have become demanding, looking for products that not only provide a functional benefit, but also offer a pleasurable taste experience. By integrating Acti'Mask into their formulations, brands can offer more attractive products, increasing consumer engagement and loyalty.

Combining flavor science and nutritional performance

The boom in sports nutrition and electrolyte-enriched drinks is driving manufacturers to constantly innovate to meet new consumer expectations. However, the sensory challenges associated with proteins and minerals call for tailored solutions to guarantee an optimal taste experience.

Thanks to Acti'Mask and a multitude of flavor signatures for beverages, energy bars and protein powders, Metarom provides an effective response to these issues by allowing brands to combine nutritional performance and taste pleasure.

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