Carbery showcases new hydrolysed whey protein at Fi Europe Connect
Image courtesy of Carbery
Nutrition expert, Carbery Group, is showcasing its newly launched hydrolysed whey protein (WPH), Optipep® 4Power, at the Fi Europe Connect virtual exhibition, taking place from 23 November to 4 December. In a clinical study, Carbery found that Optipep 4Power taken pre-workout enabled participants to generate more power for longer, compared with standard whey protein concentrate. The hydrolysed whey protein has been developed to support nutritional strategies for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which have been minimally research to date. Fi Europe attendees will have the opportunity to discover more about this new addition to the Carbery offering, as well as learning about the clinical research supporting it.
Carbery’s R&D team is continually developing next generation whey protein hydrolysate ingredients under the Optipep range and used advanced mass spectrometry to analyse peptides in their latest ingredient. Data interpretation with bioinformatics enabled them to identify any possible bioactivity within the peptide sequences using predictor algorithms. Consequently, they were able to identify the protein with the best possibility of having an impact on performance. Carbery validated the potential benefits of the ingredient with customers and undertook a clinical trial.
The clinical study set out to investigate if supplementation of protein in low carbohydrate conditions ahead of HIIT workouts induces favourable muscle metabolic and exercise performance adaptations. The study design was developed to address three specific objectives, which were to:
1. Identify mitochondrial changes in the acute and chronic phases;
2. Determine specific mechanisms underpinning adaptations (metabolic and performance);
3. Establish optimal nutritional strategies to enhance outcomes from HIIT.
The study found that when compared with whey protein concentrate, a 4.3% greater training-induced increase in Wingate mean power output was observed with participants who had consumed Optipep 4Power prior to exercise, indicating a greater capacity for power generation during maximal intensity sprint exercise. There was also a 6.1% improvement in fatigue index, indicating a greater capacity for sustaining high intensity exercise performance. In March 2020, after the conclusion of the clinical study, a cohort of consumers that exercise more than twice a week and consume protein were interviewed. When presented with Optipep 4Power and the benefits from the clinical study, 62% stated they would be interested in buying the product.
Sarah O’Neill, marketing manager at Carbery, commented: “We’re thrilled to be participating in the virtual format of FI Europe CONNECT and are looking forward to interacting with attendees to share more information about Optipep 4Power and the clinical study supporting it. Using our cutting-edge technical expertise, we have been able to identify the optimal WPH and validate its potential positive impact on performance outcomes, and have shown that Optipep 4Power helps athletes produce and sustain more power compared to whey protein concentrate. Our experts will be on hand to talk to brands providing targeted nutritional solutions to consumers participating in HIIT sports (such as CrossFit, Field Sports and Combat Sports) about formulation support for what we believe is a game-changing product.”
Attendees of the exhibition can request a meeting with the Carbery team and view more information about the Optipep 4Power product via the FI Europe Connect app. Full details are available here.
