New Generation Of Sports Drinks Isn’t Afraid Of Trying Avant Garde Ingredients

PepsiCo’s Gatorade and Coca-Cola’s Powerade account for about 94 percent of the $8 billion U.S. sports drink market. But, like their cousins in the soft drink market, these and other brands are grappling with the consumer trend away from sugary beverages. The sports drink giants are also battling pesky upstarts in tune with modern science, offering a new generation of high-tech, all-natural hydration solutions that actually taste good without the sugar. The basic mission of sports drinks is to replace electrolytes – sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc. – lost in exercise. But they also need to taste good. To accomplish that, some new generation brands are experimenting with ingredients like vegan cane sugar, monk fruit extract, stevia, and dextrose.