Powering performance: Plant-based and dairy proteins fuel muscle growth and recovery

Athletes seeking optimal muscle growth and recovery have various choices to fit their diets and nutritional needs, from plant-based solutions like Austrion’s Ayaca allergen-free pea-bean protein to Arla Food Ingredients’ high-essential amino acid (EEA) whey innovations. Meanwhile, Gencor spotlights its various enhancers, from testosterone-boosting Testofen to recovery-aiding HydroCurc. Nutrition Insight speaks with the companies to learn more about their offerings.

Plant-based proteins

Gabor Klauser, CEO of Austrion, tells us about the specific benefits of the company’s performance enhancers for athletes.

“Ayaca plant-derived protein is a non-allergen, vegan, and organically certified product. It is an extruded protein concentrate blend (approximately 80/20% peas-bean), which is a valuable addition to an athlete’s diet for supporting natural muscle development and recovery.”

“Ayaca in an athlete’s regular diet can enhance muscle development, improve muscle recovery times, and provide essential nutrients. All while being gentle in the digestive system and accommodating various dietary needs. Consuming Ayaca lowers the risk of several metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart-related disorders,” he explains.

Klauser also highlights Ayaca’s muscle growth recovery support, digestibility, hypoallergenic properties, and nutrient-rich profile.

“Ayaca is rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) like leucine, isoleucine, and valine, essential for muscle protein synthesis. Studies have shown that pea protein can be as effective as whey protein in promoting muscle thickness and strength during resistance training programs.”

“Ayaca, by its extruded high protein content, boasts a high digestibility rate of approximately 94%, minimizing gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating and gas. Additionally, it’s naturally free from common allergens like gluten, soy, soy, and dairy, making it suitable for individuals with specific dietary restrictions,” he continues.

Ayaca is a non-allergen, organically certified product and is an extruded protein concentrate blend of approximately 80/20% peas-bean.Klauser says iron, folate, and other micronutrients that promote general health and athletic performance can be found in pea and bean proteins in addition to protein.

Whey and milk proteins

Peter Schouw Andersen, head of Performance Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, tells us about the benefits of Arla’s premium whey and milk proteins. They contain isolates, concentrates, and hydrolysates to meet the needs of sports performance nutrition, as “high-quality proteins are vital for the growth and creation of muscle tissue.” 

“Whey protein particularly stands out, offering a superior EAA profile and rapid absorption,” he says. “As well as promoting muscle building, it accelerates recovery, enabling more frequent and intense training sessions. It can also help enhance endurance performance.”

“During prolonged exercise, the body primarily relies on carbohydrate stores for energy, but when these become depleted, this can trigger the breakdown of muscle tissue for fuel. Whey protein ingestion can help preserve muscle mass and potentially delay muscle breakdown. A great example is Our Nutrilac ProteinBoost — a patented, microparticulated whey protein that is easy to incorporate into protein-enriched sports nutrition products,” shares Andersen.

Whey protein stands out due to its rich EAA profile and rapid absorption.He also discusses the recently developed Lacprodan BLG-100 pure beta-lactoglobulin ingredient from Arla Foods Ingredients, a new protein category. Its nutritional profile is amino-acid-rich and activates muscle protein synthesis. 

Andersen says Lacprodan BLG-100 has “naturally high levels of leucine and boasts 26% more EAAs and 40% more BCAAs than commercially available whey proteins.”

“BLG-100 also has a superior taste to leucine as a single amino acid. This makes it ideal for sports nutrition products such as powder shakes and clear ready-to-drink beverages, which taste great while offering compelling functional benefits.” 

Various athletic enhancers

Maggie McNamara, VP of Global Marketing at Gencor, highlights the company’s ingredients to support athletic performance, such as ActivAMP, Levagen+, Libifem, Testofen, Tesnor, HydroCurc, and Landkind Pure Salidroside.

Gencor’s performance enhancers include ActivAMP, Levagen+, Libifem, Testofen, Tesnor, HydroCurc, and Landkind Pure Salidroside.“ActivAMP has been clinically researched to aid in metabolic health, healthy weight management, and boost aerobic fitness performance by up to 4%. Libifem was recently shown to significantly increase muscle strength and endurance, and improve body composition in women aged 25 and 45.”

“Tesnor has been shown to increase in-cell testosterone production and inhibit aromatase activity in in vitro testing,” McNamara adds. “It has also demonstrated its ability to aid in muscle strength and growth in young males. Testofen has three published clinical studies demonstrating the ingredient’s ability to increase lean muscle mass, decrease body fat, increase functional threshold power, and increase free testosterone.” 

McNamara highlights Levagen+, a branded palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) ingredient that clinically decreases muscle soreness, improves sleep, supports cognitive function, and preserves lean mass gains while increasing dynamic lower-body power.

Gencor’s patented cold-water dispersible HydroCurc is a highly bioavailable curcumin extract by Pharmako Biotechnologies, says McNamara. “It has clinically shown to decrease soreness, improve recovery, reduce lactic acid levels post-exercise, reduce joint pain and discomfort, and support overall joint health.”

She adds: “Landkind Pure Salidroside is a sustainable rhodiola bioactive crafted by fermentation. It is the first and only bioactive, with clinical data demonstrating its ability to boost oxygen uptake during exercise to improve energy levels and performance.”