It is almost impossible now to find a company that would independently work on a full production cycle, because it requires very high costs for both production and labor. To produce high-quality products in large volumes, a company needs a well-coordinated work of partners who cooperate on the basis of contract manufacturing. The essence of such production is the creation of products under their own label, but at the production facilities of others. Moreover, some companies can perform individual technological operations, or engage exclusively in marketing activities.

Sports nutrition manufacturer services

Sports supplement manufacturer provides services for solving production issues of varying complexity for small and medium-sized businesses. The main requirement is the solvency of such companies. In turn, the manufacturer must have sufficient material, technical and scientific base, as well as work experience to be trusted.

Sports supplement manufacturer services include research and development of formulations, creation of recipes, addition of flavorings, sourcing of raw materials. Based on its experience, the manufacturing company owns a sufficient number of recipes to offer them to the client. At the same time, it is constantly testing new recipes and can gladly accept all the wishes of the client. In order to preserve the beneficial substances of the ingredients, the company takes appropriate precautions in each production process.

Athletes can physically feel the difference in the substitution of ingredients when consuming sports nutrition. Therefore, sports supplement manufacturers are responsible for the choice of suppliers of raw materials that document the quality of products and their compliance with sanitary standards.

Supplement production

Depending on the selected ingredients and the form requested, a specific manufacturing process is applied. However, there are basic steps that are constantly used in production, such as preparation of ingredients, measurement of recipes, mixing, inspection, and packaging. The manufacturing technology of sports nutrition uses the principle of minimizing the number of thermal operations, as it is aimed at achieving the maximum percentage of useful elements. Most often, sports supplement manufacturers use dry mixing which allows them to achieve high uniformity of sports mixtures.

The development of sports supplements is based on knowledge of the physiological and biochemical processes in the body of athletes during physical exertion and during recovery. The stage of preparation, the type of sport, climatic conditions and other individual characteristics of a person are also taken into account. Therefore, the production is guided by the basic biomedical principles:

• energy balance when the energy expended by the athlete gets compensated with food and helps to boost efficiency;
• adequacy and consistency of nutrition as nutrients function normally only when interacting with each other, and if at least one of them is missing, the entire system may not work properly;
• lifestyle dynamics of the athlete and the nature of training that help decide what ingredients should be selected;
• accuracy of the ingredient dosage that depends on the range of intake of nutrients required by the body.

Product packaging, labeling and design

In order to visually evaluate the product, determine the degree of trust in it and make a decision to purchase, the buyer only needs 3 seconds. Therefore, packaging is not just a protection of the product from environmental influences, but also a communication between the buyer and the brand. When ordering packaging from the contractor, you should pay attention to the production material. The best option would be a package made of a multilayer polymer with a metallized layer that has barrier properties. It protects sports supplements from sunlight, moisture, and mechanical damage during transportation and storage.

The most common type of packaging is a stand-up pouch. It has a stable round bottom, which makes it easy to put products on the shelf. The stand-up pouch is closed with a special valve or zip lock, which prevents weathering and lets customers reuse products. Other types of packaging include:

— HDPE and PET bottles;

— plastic and glass jars;

— glass and plastic bottles;

— blister packs;

— boxes.

Sports nutrition formats

Nutritional sports supplements can be presented in a variety of formats, and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Most people are interested in how the format can influence the action and effectiveness of the supplement. Let us figure it out.

1. 1. Pills and capsules are the most accessible form of vitamins and minerals. Pills are much easier to take than, for example, powder. But as for capsules, gelatin is used for their outer shell, which can slow down the absorption of useful substances from the contents of the capsule.
   2. Powder is the format preferred by athletes. The powder is absorbed as effectively as pills, but the downside is that when mixed in the wrong proportion with milk or water, the effectiveness of the sports supplement may be lower than stated.
   3. Liquid or gel. Given that these supplements are already mixed with liquid, they have a shorter shelf life than powders or pills. The advantage of liquid supplements is their flexibility in dosing.

Conclusion

The production of supplements for athletes today is carried out using contract manufacturing which is a mutually beneficial cooperation between the client and the performing company. The supplement manufacturer provides all the necessary services, including the study of formulations and the search for raw materials. Sports nutrition is made from natural ingredients, minimizing their thermal processing to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. Cooperation in contract manufacturing allows the client to reduce the cost of the production process by obtaining the finished product in the shortest possible time.