Swedish sports nutrition specialist Maurten notes that caffeine is widely used by athletes during races and prolonged sessions. The company points out that ‘Science have shown that it increases alertness and reduces perceived effort – properties that can aid athletes in almost any sport.
‘But, pure caffeine tastes bitter – something the sports nutrition industry have struggled with when making gels that contains caffeine. Historically, brands have tried to hide the ingredient’s bitterness by adding flavours and acids, or by simply keeping the levels of caffeine low.
Maurten has gone in another direction with its latest product, the GEL 100 CAF 100.
“Athletes want a dose of caffeine that is large enough, but they don’t want artificial flavours or colorants,” said Olof Sköld, CEO of Maurten. “So, we decided to simply circumvent the problem. Instead of masking the taste with other ingredients, we’ve encapsulated the caffeine in a true hydrogel – almost totally eliminating the bitterness.”
Maurten’s GEL 100 CAF 100 contains 100mg of caffeine – the equivalent of 1.5 espressos. According to the company, other caffeine gels typically deliver around half of that amount.
“From a scientific perspective, low levels of caffeine won’t really aid you,” Sköld added. “And there’s no point loading with too much. The new product hits that sweet spot, both in terms of caffeine and carbohydrates.”
World class athletes such as Mo Farah and Jan Frodeno have been involved in the development of the product, providing feedback around the texture and taste. Besides caffeine, the product also contains 25g of carbohydrates, through a blend of fructose and glucose (ratio of 0.8:1).
The development of the hydrogel technology started in 2015. Today the company offers four different sports fuel products that use hydrogel as a mean of transport for the carbohydrates.
Maurten’s CEO Olof Sköld continued “The new product really showcases what the hydrogel innovation is all about – we’re able to remove much of the taste, not just masking it. We’ve just scratched the surface of the potential with this technology.”
- Each serving of GEL 100 CAF 100 contains 100 mg of caffeine and delivers 25 grams of carbohydrates.
- Seven ingredients – no added colorants, preservatives or flavours
- Vegan-friendly
- Available in USA and EU through maurten.com and selected retailers
- Price: €48.38 / US$50 per box (12 servings)
