Sports Nutrition Co.
Knowledge Base
Plain explanations of sports nutrition products, ingredients and formulation, written for brand buyers.
Featured
Hydration & Electrolytes
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. In a sports drink they help define what the product is made for. A daily hydration formula will usually look different from a product made for long endurance sessions or heavy sweating.
6 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Electrolyte stick packs vs powder
A stick and a tub can carry the same minerals. They are different products to make, to sell and to use. The format changes the dose, the samples and the minimum order.
6 min
Intra-Workout & Endurance Fuel
What is intra-workout?
Intra-workout is nutrition drunk during training or competition. Brands build it as an amino drink, a hydration drink or a carbohydrate drink. BCAA and EAA are one option in that range.
6 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. In a sports drink they help define what the product is made for. A daily hydration formula will usually look different from a product made for long endurance sessions or heavy sweating.
6 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Electrolyte stick packs vs powder
A stick and a tub can carry the same minerals. They are different products to make, to sell and to use. The format changes the dose, the samples and the minimum order.
6 min
Intra-Workout & Endurance Fuel
What is intra-workout?
Intra-workout is nutrition drunk during training or competition. Brands build it as an amino drink, a hydration drink or a carbohydrate drink. BCAA and EAA are one option in that range.
6 min
Ingredients
Caffeine and L-theanine combinations
Caffeine with L-theanine is a common pairing in focus pre-workouts and gaming drinks. There is no universal ratio. Serving size, pack and label rules decide what is workable. It is not a medical combination.
5 min
Ingredients
Citicoline / Cognizin in performance products
Citicoline is a choline source some brands use in focus-led formulas. Cognizin is a branded citicoline. It is an ingredient choice with EU and UK label limits. It is not a default add-on, and it is not a treatment for cognition.
6 min
Manufacturing / Regulatory
Complete meal vs meal replacement
A complete meal powder and a meal replacement are different commercial and legal jobs. One is a balanced shake a brand can sell as a convenient meal-style serving. The other follows meal-replacement rules in the target country. They are not interchangeable names.
6 min
Product Development
Protein pancake formulation
A protein pancake mix is a dry batter that must hydrate, spread, brown and hold in the pan. Protein, starch, leavening and flavour all have to work as food, not as a shake poured onto a hot plate.
5 min
Product Development
How cream of rice products are formulated
Cream of rice is a hot bowl product: a fine rice base, optional protein, flavour and a texture that cooks in a few minutes. It is a carbohydrate food in sports nutrition, not a whey tub with rice written on the front.
6 min
Protein
How protein blends are formulated
A protein blend mixes two or more protein sources so one product can hit a protein target, a cost band, a texture and a flavour that a single source often cannot. The ratio is a commercial choice, not a habit copied from another tub.
7 min
Protein
MPI vs MPC
Milk protein isolate (MPI) and milk protein concentrate (MPC) are cost-efficient milk systems for shakes. They are not a downgrade from whey. They are a different protein architecture, often blended with whey.
6 min
Protein
WPC vs WPI vs WPH
WPC, WPI and WPH are three whey architectures. They differ in protein percentage, lactose, cost, flavour work and how you position the tub. They are not three speeds of the same powder.
6 min
Pre-Workout
Hybrid performance formulation
A hybrid performance product joins two jobs that already exist on their own: hydration with creatine, protein with coffee, protein with electrolytes, carbohydrate with electrolytes, focus with energy, or recovery with hydration. It is a combined SKU, not a new science category.
7 min
Product Development
Gaming supplement formulation
A gaming supplement is a session drink for long screen time: moderate caffeine or none, flavour people will sip, and a formula that is not a gym pre-workout with a controller on the tub.
6 min
Pre-Workout
High-stim vs moderate-stim vs stim-free
High-stim, moderate-stim and stim-free are commercial positions on a pre-workout line. They change caffeine, who drinks the product, what else fits in the scoop, and how the pack is sold.
6 min
Pre-Workout
How pre-workout formulas are structured
A pre-workout is a stack of layers: energy, pump, focus and endurance. Stimulant tier, serving size and pack decide which layers can be honest in one scoop.
7 min
Intra-Workout & Endurance Fuel
What does a 1:0.8 carbohydrate ratio mean?
A 1:0.8 carbohydrate ratio is a glucose-to-fructose split used in endurance carbohydrate drinks. It describes how the two sources share a serving. It is not a name for maltodextrin or Cluster Dextrin.
7 min
Intra-Workout & Endurance Fuel
What is Cluster Dextrin / HBCD?
Cluster Dextrin is highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD), a carbohydrate ingredient used in endurance and intra-fuel drinks. It is a raw-material choice, not a different kind of carbohydrate.
8 min
Intra-Workout & Endurance Fuel
What is a high-carb drink mix / carb loader?
A high-carb drink mix, often called a carb loader in brand briefs, is a powder that puts a large carbohydrate dose into a drink for endurance use.
7 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Electrolytes + Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates supply fuel. Electrolytes replace minerals. They can share a bottle if the brief says which job comes first.
7 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Electrolytes + Creatine
Electrolytes and creatine do different jobs. One powder can still be practical for a training brand, when the dose, the taste and the user are clear.
6 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Why sodium matters in sports hydration
Athletes lose more sodium in sweat than the other electrolytes. In the drink, sodium also sets the salt taste. There is no single dose that fits every product.
6 min
Hydration & Electrolytes
Daily Hydration vs Performance Hydration
Daily hydration and performance hydration are different products. One is lighter and made for ordinary days. The other is made for long sessions or heavy sweating. No single dose covers both.
7 min
Developing a product?
Start in a Product Builder, or send a manufacturing brief if you already know the specification.