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 flavor.

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.
 
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 (Euromonitor 2018). 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, according to 2018 data from Innova Market Insights.
 
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 water. 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. 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.”