Breaking News: \u201cPerformance Beer is the Newest Trend in Sports Beverages.\u201d While that claim might seem counter-intuitive, non-alcoholic beer is, in fact, an emerging trend in athletic beverages \u2013 thanks, in large part, to one of its active ingredients: malt.<\/p>\n
As health-conscious Americans thirst for functional, natural sports drinks, malt-based beverages can help enhance performance, energy and recovery for everyone from weekend warriors to elite athletes.<\/p>\n
While non-alcoholic beers are gradually gaining traction in the United States as viable sports beverages, the burgeoning trend is already in full swing in other countries. Notably, it has become the beverage of choice for many Olympic athletes in Germany. Their switch is backed by science: a 2012\u00a0study revealed that runners who drank non-alcoholic beer before and after the Munich Marathon reported less inflammation and fewer incidences of upper respiratory tract infections post-race than runners who drank a placebo.<\/p>\n
Now, popular brands like Heineken are jumping on the once-niche non-alcoholic market, with its \u201cHeineken 0.0\u201d, while smaller \u201cfunctional\u201d craft beer companies like Athletic Brewing Company \u2013 whose very name ties fermented beverages in directly with fitness\/athleticism \u2013 are springing up right here in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Historically, the taste appeal of non-alcoholic beer has been a challenge. When the alcohol is removed during the brewing process, so is the \u201cbeery\u201d flavor, resulting in non-alcoholic beer earning a reputation for being weak, watery and bland. In the U.S., it is not uncommon to add unique flavors, both for extra sweetness and fruitier notes \u2013 this is where malt extract makes its mark.<\/p>\n
Like beer, malt extract starts with sprouted barley (malt) and, using only hot water, the natural enzymes in the malt convert starches in the barley into the sugar maltose. Beer ferments these sugars into alcohol, whereas malt extract skips fermentation and evaporates the excess water \u2013 creating an aromatic, nutrient-dense, flavorful syrup. It has been used over the years in drinks like, Malta, Ovaltine, Milo, and, of course, malted milk shakes.<\/p>\n
Malt Extract\u2019s Natural Performance Benefits:<\/strong><\/p>\n Companies such as Malt Products Corporation provide all natural, non-GMO certified malt extracts that are used as a prominent ingredient in a variety of malt-based beverages, as well as leading bakery, confectionery, snack food, and cereal manufacturers nationwide.<\/p>\n With nearly one-third of consumers having increased their consumption of nutrition or performance beverages, according to a 2017 Mintel report, a significant number of malt-based beverages, including non-alcoholic beer, are on the fast track to being the next big sports drink trend.<\/p>\n _______________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n Author Biography<\/strong><\/p>\n Peeyush Maheshwari, PhD, Food Science<\/strong><\/p>\n Founder & Principal, Food 4 Though, LLC<\/p>\n Peeyush Maheshwari, PhD, Food Science, is the Founder and Principal of Food 4 Thought, LLC, with more than 25 years of industry experience. He held senior positions at leading companies including General Mills, Pillsbury, and Proctor and Gamble, where he excelled in the areas of new product development, product improvement, multiple ingredient technologies, technical advancements, and strategic business development. Peeyush\u2019s expertise lies in a variety of specialties such as functional ingredients, sweeteners\/starches, baked goods, dairy, and meat, to mention a few.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Breaking News: \u201cPerformance Beer is the Newest Trend in Sports […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consumer-press-coverage","category-press-coverage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n