The results add to previous testing conducted in the U.S. by natural product manufacturer NOW, which found that half of the gummies it tested did not meet dosage claims on the label. So, why are so many brands struggling to formulate creatine gummies, and are they really a viable delivery format for an ingredient that is sensitive to water?
Creatine gummies have rapidly gained in popularity over recent years, with a number of new brands entering the market. However, Smith had a hunch that many were simply ‘expensive sweets’ that did not contain the levels of creatine purported on the label.
To test his theory, he purchased a global sample of creatine gummies from nine popular brands and sent them to one of the largest and most reputable testing facilities: Eurofins. The test results revealed that only one brand, Wellboost, exceeded the advertised label claim, with each serving containing 5.55 g of creatine for a label claim of 5 g.
Three brands contained creatine levels at 95%, 86% and 73% of label claim, and the remaining five brands contained less than 2% of the claimed amount of creatine, with testing showing that each contained 0.11 g of creatine or less per serving.
“I’m sure there is at least a 5% discrepancy in testing methods, but we’re not splitting hairs on the exact amount present,” Smith told NutraIngredients. “We are testing to see if these gummies have creatine in or not. The 2% reading is generous at best, it’s actually saying no creatine detected.”
He said this has raised a number of questions about whether brands are knowingly selling creatine gummies that do not meet label claims, or if there is simply a lack of pre-market due diligence.
Formulation challenges
Creatine is quickly becoming a popular nutrient both in and outside the world of sports nutrition. It is one of the most researched ingredients, with recent studies indicating it may have a range of benefits beyond athletic performance.
“Creatine is having its very own renaissance,” Nick Morgan, managing director at Nutrition Integrated, told NI. “It has caught fire recently, with growing public interest online, particularly on social media, and because of this, we’re seeing heightened consumer awareness and market growth.”
Creatine gummies have become a particularly popular delivery format, providing a convenient alternative to mixing creatine powder with water.
“Gummies can offer a very accessible way for people to get vitamins, minerals, plant botanicals and a variety of other ingredients,” Morgan said. “They make creatine easier to take and add interest via flavor profiles, but there are challenges from a developmental perspective.”
Creatine is notoriously difficult to formulate in gummy form, according to Crystal Webber, a food biochemist and founder of Formulation Innovations Group.
“Creatine is challenging to put into gummies because of a lot of different factors that are related to the molecule,” she said. “Once it’s absorbed into water, it rapidly starts degrading into creatinine, which is something our bodies can make, so it’s completely useless to take as a supplement.”
She noted that it is usually easy to tell if creatine has degraded during the manufacturing process, as the gummy will be clear and will not have a grainy texture.
“I always tell clients that if they see a creatine gummy that is completely clear, like a gummy bear, the creatine has turned into creatinine because it’s fully solubilized,” she said. “Creatine gummies typically have that gritty, chalky texture, and this signifies that the creatine molecule is intact. If a creatine gummy doesn’t taste grainy, it’s a good sign that you should ask that brand for third party testing.”
Overcoming formulation challenges
In order to keep the creatine molecule intact, Webber says manufacturers must carefully consider three key factors.
“There are three typical factors in the gummy process that tend to degrade creatine—acid, heat and liquid,” she explained. “Gummy manufacturers have to find the right supporting ingredients, the right processing parameters and the right work around to get that flow through their system and make sure that creatine comes out the other end in the right form.”
However, even excellent dietary supplement factories often don’t have the depth of food science and food chemistry knowledge to work out the problems that occur when manufacturing creatine gummies, Webber said.
“There are some really great dietary supplement companies that decide to make gummies, but they don’t always have that food science background to be able to stabilize creatine, or work with formulations that have liquids in, and know the parameters that liquid has on shelf-life stability,” she said.
For this reason, Webber said brands should work with expert formulators to ensure they produce an effective end product. However, this comes at a cost.
“The safest path is not the cheapest path,” she said. “It’s not cheap to buy good creatine, work with a manufacturer who doesn’t cut corners and pay for that testing. The brand and the manufacturers both have a responsibility to bring good gummies to the market.”
How accurate are creatine gummy tests?
Given the intricacies of the manufacturing process and the wide variety of creatine gummy formulations, some brands have disputed third-party test results.
Webber said there can indeed be problems on the testing side, particularly when it comes to pectin gummies.
“Pectin gummies contain fibers and carbohydrates that interfere with the lab testing column,” she said. “So, if a lab really wants to do a great job of testing a gummy for creatine, they really need look at all the other ingredients in there. They need to adjust their testing method around what might be blocking the creatine finding.”
While Eurofins has adopted a modified version of the USP Creatine Monograph specifically adapted for testing creatine levels in pectin-based gummies, other third-party testing services may not be able to offer this service.
“You normally expect creatine levels to come in a little bit lower than expected unless they are testing for your exact gummy,” Webber said. “That being said, if a customer sends a product to whatever lab they find online and that lab hasn’t figured out how best to test a creatine gummy, then it will come back failing. And that’s kind of unfair on the manufacturer.”
Are creatine gummies here to stay?
Despite the formulation challenges and growing consumer uncertainty, Morgan says creatine gummies are likely to remain popular.
“There will always be people who like creatine gummies, it’s a format that lots of people generally prefer,” he said. “Now there is simply greater scrutiny on the brands selling them, with consumers beginning to demand certificates of analysis.”
Morgan described this as a positive development, noting that the added scrutiny is fueling a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality across the industry.
“The scrutiny for gummies is good,” he said. “Brands have just got to be careful that the drive to be more accessible through a gummy format does not undermine the purposes of it being a supplement.
“If you can genuinely marry the two together, then a gummy is a wonderful opportunity for a lot of consumers, and if more care and attention is brought by consumers demanding better quality, then that can only be a good thing.”
