High protein bars are very much part of the mainstream in sports and body-building or muscle-generating products. Anyone hoping to reduce their weight by raising their satiety levels relies to some extent on eating plenty of proteins. The high levels of protein in these products means considerable product development has been undertaken to make these products as palatable as possible. All of them have a tendency to harden though which means they don’t ever really make their most desirable shelf-life. Attempts to overcome this have been a key feature in concept development.
If we are looking for a suitable protein bar we should take a look at those which have been specifically designed for the sports person. They are all intended to be an alternative to supplements and tablets. They also offer a readily palatable alternative to shakes which rely on additions of proteins like whey protein hydrolysate and the isolate.
If you look at the overall protein consumption of the human race then you can see that it is highly variable depending on what disposable income you have and the opportunity to obtain it. Lu Ann Williams, the director of innovation at Innova Market Insights, Duiven, the Netherlands (innovadatabase.com), commented on protein trending at the company’s 2015 top 10 trends webinar. Here, she noted that protein content in food products is one of the key selling points for any food manufacturer and protein bars are no exception.
Consumers claim globally that they are eating more protein than ever. About 25% of Americans and 26% of Chinese reported they ate more protein in 2014 than last year, based on Mintel research, Chicago (mintel.com) (Mintel 2014).
Generally, the segment for protein bars is one of the fastest growing categories. In the UK, the sales value was £22m which has according to the trend analysts grown by 58% and £8.2m since last year. We in the UK, nearly one in five in fact (or 17% to be precise) actually consume protein as part of our snacking or in between meals. Bars make that a convenient choice because of their convenience and size.
Maxinutrition™
Maxinutrition have been producing sports bars for the serious athlete for a few years now. With their track record, they now offer a serious range exploiting the wide variety of whey and milk proteins now on offer. Whey protein is cheap so this is commonplace in such products. The Promax® Meal range is intended primarily to help with muscle development and growth, and recovery especially following extensive exhausting exercise. Each of their bars contains 21g to 22g of protein, and perhaps unusually, 6.4g of fibre as an added feature. The protein are whey protein hydrolysate and isolate with collagen protein hydrolysate too. Two bars daily can be taken, ideally having one after training and the other between meals. These are not Halal or intended for vegetarians or vegans – note the collagen source. Try Dark Chocolate ! Cookie Dough and Blueberry Smoothie.
Mars & Snickers Protein Bars
In May, 2016, Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats launched their new protein bars under their classic brand names of Mars and Snickers. The protein content from both these bars is 18g (Snickers) and 19g (Mars) respectively per serving. Both these bars are 200 calories with a nutritional profile that fits with all those that have gone before. What they have over their competitors is the archetypal Mars’ flavours which gives them their unique taste profile and identifies the brands with their equivalent confectionary offerings.
Michelle Frost, who is General Manager at Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats, stated in a press release:
“Protein consumption is on the increase and has made the transition from niche to mainstream. We are keen to offer consumers more choices on how to enjoy their favourite chocolate brands. Our bars combine great taste, familiar brands, clearly labelled protein content to meet growing consumer demand.”
Clif Bar & Company (Emeryville, Ca. USA) offer Builder’s, a 20g protein bar in a 68g serving in their highly popular chocolate peanut butter flavour amongst a whole range of protein bars.
Adding Fruit And Nut
Protein bars need not just be about a straightforward whey or milk protein slab. Fruits and nuts are often used to add texture, crunch and a little extra variety allowing extension to the brand line. United States Nutrition Inc., (Bohemia, N.Y.) offer three protein bars described as original, baked and Greek Style yoghurt. They improved upon this offering back in 2015 with two new Fruit & Nut Bar varieties: Cranberry Almond Cashew and Tropical Fruit Macadamia Nut.
Each bar has been given added crunch which helps resolve the protein texture. These two also have 18g of protein per 50g serve and are described as gluten free, a source of fibre amongst other ‘free from’ claims such as artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners. In energy terms, the Cranberry Almond Cashew bar contains 7g sugar with 200 calories per 1.76oz. bar. The Tropical Fruit Macadamia Nut Fruit & Nut Bar combines mango, pineapple and papaya with macadamia nuts. This particular bar contains 9g of sugar as well as 200 calories per 1.76oz serve.
Why Not Consider Savoury?
Savoury flavours provide a wide range of new product development flavours. Barbeque, chilli, salty crackers have all appeared in recent times.
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References
Mintel. (2014) Protein Fever. Mintel Group, Chicago. mintel.com.
We can all say that protein is important and necessary in our diets, but the reasons whythey can be a little more complex. What does science say about the role of protein in our bodies? What are some of the benefits of a high-protein diet for an active person who wants to strengthen? To answer these questions, let’s go back to the basics and see what protein is, so we can determine why and how it benefits us. What is protein and why is it important? Protein is one of three main nutrients,along with carbohydrates and fats, in our diets. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Think of them as Legos that can be broken down and reassembled in different ways. Proteins and amino acids are the main components of our muscles, bones, skin, tissues and organs. When we eat proteins, our body breaks them down into individual amino acids during digestion and then uses these amino acids to create new proteins where needed. If we don’t eat enough protein, our body will start getting it from the inside, starting with muscle breakdown.