At SRS Nutrition Express, we understand the challenges many of our clients face when it comes to creatine, particularly its solubility. Creatine is a crucial ingredient in sports nutrition, but its poor solubility in water (ranging from 10-13g/L) often leads to issues in beverage formulations. Incomplete dissolution of creatine can affect both the taste and clarity of the product, which is a problem for many of our clients who produce ready-to-drink beverages or powdered creatine.
solubility 10-13g/L from wikipedia
To address this, we have worked closely with top creatine manufacturers to develop a range of solutions. Let’s walk you through how our customized approach helped our clients resolve these issues and improve their products.
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The Challenge: Poor Creatine Solubility
Client Overview
One of our long-term clients is a leading sports nutrition brand with a popular creatine-powered energy drink. This brand’s creatine monohydrate was not dissolving completely, leading to sediment at the bottom of the bottle. This issue negatively impacted the consumer experience, affecting both taste and visual appeal. In addition, some of our clients who manufacture creatine powders for shaker cups also reported significant settling problems.
The client’s goal was to improve the solubility of creatine without compromising the taste or clarity of their product. We needed to provide a solution that would prevent sedimentation while maintaining the desired quality of the drink.
creatine sedimentation over time
Six Approaches to Improve Creatine Solubility
Through in-depth discussions with our client, we identified six effective strategies to improve creatine solubility. These methods fall into two categories: physical and chemical solutions.
Physical Solutions
1. Water Temperature Adjustment: Creatine’s solubility increases with temperature. At 4°C, 1 liter of water dissolves only 6g of creatine, but at 60°C, it dissolves 45g. While this method can work, in beverage production, applying heat can alter the overall taste, so its use is limited in practical applications. For our client, heating didn’t show significant improvements.
One major limitation of creatine as an ampholytic amino acid is its rather low solubility in water. The solubility of creatine in water increases with temperature and the correlation between solubility and temperature is almost linear. One liter of water dissolves 6 g of creatine at 4°C, 14 g at 20°C, 34 g at 50°C, and 45 g at 60°C. The solubility of creatine can also be increased by lowering the pH of the solution
2. Stirring and Physical Agitation: Using continuous stirring during the production process can speed up creatine’s dissolution, but it’s an auxiliary method that doesn’t fully address the solubility problem. It’s difficult to control during manufacturing, and it doesn't eliminate sedimentation completely.
3. Reducing Particle Size One highly effective strategy is to reduce the particle size of creatine. Finer powders, such as 500 mesh micronized creatine, increase the surface area and enhance solubility. Although micronization can reduce the density of the powder and increase volume, it allows for better mixing. We recommended our client use larger packaging and adjusted their scoop sizes to ensure consistent dosing.
Particle Size
4. Crystal Structure Optimization Different production methods can result in varying crystal structures, which impact solubility. We found that disordered crystal structures tend to dissolve better than well-ordered ones. By optimizing the crystal structure, we helped improve creatine’s solubility. This is why selecting a reliable supplier is crucial to ensuring consistent quality and solubility.
Chemical Solutions
5. Adjusting pH Levels Creatine monohydrate typically dissolves at 14g/L at neutral pH (around 7). However, lowering the pH increases solubility. For example, creatine citrate dissolves at 29g/L, and creatine pyruvate at 54g/L when the pH is reduced to acidic levels (around 3-4). However, pH adjustments need to be carefully balanced, as excessive acid can alter the taste. Many of our clients opt for creatine salts like creatine citrate or creatine hydrochloride to boost solubility while maintaining the desired flavor profile.
[Source: NIH] (Godfraind et al.
6. Adding Solubilizing Agents In some cases, we recommend adding solubilizing agents like propylene glycol or sodium benzoate to the formula. These agents effectively improve the solubility of creatine in complex beverage formulations, ensuring a more uniform dissolve and better product stability. This solution is particularly beneficial for clients producing functional beverages.
SRS TEST REPORT
SRS TEST REPORT
Client Feedback: Successful Custom Solutions
One key client faced severe solubility issues that directly impacted the taste and appearance of their product. After working with us, we provided a tailored solution combining several physical and chemical methods. The result? Dramatic improvements in solubility, with the sedimentation issue nearly eliminated. Not only did the product’s clarity and taste improve, but the production process became more efficient, and the overall product quality was stabilized.
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Our client was thrilled with the results. The changes we made significantly enhanced their product’s market appeal and consumer satisfaction. The successful implementation of our customized solution allowed them to overcome the solubility challenges and improve their beverage’s overall quality.
creatine feedback
Customer praise
Customer praise
Why Choose SRS Nutrition Express?
This success story highlights our ability to tackle complex problems with precise, customized solutions. By leveraging our expertise in both physical and chemical methods, we helped our client enhance their product’s performance and increase their market competitiveness.
At SRS Nutrition Express, we don’t just offer high-quality creatine; we provide tailored support to help our clients develop the best possible products. We understand that each client’s needs are unique, and our team is ready to deliver the perfect solution for your brand.
Stay updated with the latest market insights and formulation tips! SRS Nutrition Express has already helped over 10 brands increase their sales by 30%.
Call to Action If you‘’re facing solubility challenges or have any raw material needs, don’t hesitate to contact us. Let us provide you with industry-leading technical support and high-quality ingredients to help you achieve success.
Let's solve your creatine challenges together and find your product’s full potential!
PS:
This information and all technical and other advice are based on SRS's present knowledge and experience. However, SRS Nutrition Express assumes no liability for such information or advice, including the extent to which such information or advice may relate to third-party intellectual property rights or to laws and provisions. SRS Nutrition Express reserves the right to make any changes to information or advice at any time, without prior or subsequent notice. SRS Nutrition Express DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR MERCHANTABILITY OF THE PRODUCT OR ITS FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE (EVEN IF SRS Nutrition Express IS AWARE OF SUCH PURPOSE) OR OTHERWISE. SRS Nutrition Express SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS) OF ANY KIND. It is the customer's sole responsibility to arrange for inspection and testing of incoming products by a qualified expert. Reference to trade names used by other companies is neither a recommendation nor an endorsement of the corresponding product, and does not imply that similar products could not be used.
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Post time: Feb-15-2025
