Scientific Research

“Effervescence” The delivery method of
choice for Creatine, when done correctly.

By
Joseph Carnazzo, R.Ph.
December, 1998

This article is intended to educate you the consumer not only on the benefits of effervescence but more importantly on how effervescent products should be manufactured. And how you the consumer can spot a good effervescent product from those that should have never been allowed on the shelf of a sports nutrition store. So as you read through this article, if at times it seems confusing and difficult to follow, its because I want you the reader to get an idea of how intricate and complex the production of effervescence really is. And the injustice those manufacturers are doing to effervescent creatine as a product and effervescence as a delivery method by thinking all you have to do is throw a few ingredients in a bottle or canister and call it effervescence.

Effervescent products have been available for many years in both the U.S. and overseas, particularly in Europe. The oldest and best know products in the U.S. have been pharmaceutical and dental care products and most recently over the counter drugs and vitamins supplements. Creatine Edge effervescent represents the first product to utilize the method of effervescence to deliver a nutritional supplement.

Effervescent products offer many advantages but only when manufactured and packaged correctly. Advantages of effervescence include:

• good tasting, sparkling drinks containing ingredients which do not normally taste good in liquid form

• high dose products where large conventional tablets would have to be swallowed 

• better delivery for those persons who dislike or cannot swallow tablets and capsules 

• quicker and more complete absorption of dosages

• compounds normally not stable or soluble in liquid form

• liquids where accurate dosing is desired

All of these are not only advantages but also indicators of product formulation when looking at candidates for effervescent delivery.

The complexity of product development and production of effervescent products encompasses many factors that need to be understood by the formulator to successfully achieve the desired product. Some of those factors include choice of raw materials in the formulation, type of protective packaging to be utilized, environmental controls necessary and stability of product in the final package.

The first factor is the raw materials used in an effervescent product and each must be chosen carefully. Materials normally should be free from moisture to make a physically stable product, as the amount of moisture present in the final product is critical. The combination of the correct amount of acids and carbonate bases used to make an effervescent product react spontaneously in the presence of moisture to form water and carbon dioxide. Once this reaction is initiated, the product will actually generate its own water and the reaction will accelerate even in the presence of small amounts of moisture. 

This brings us to our next factor, environmental conditions. This includes the processing, manufacturing, mixing and packaging of your effervescent product should be carried out under humidity controlled conditions. It is important to note that complete segregation of a humidity-controlled area is important. Moisture will move against air currents and temperature gradients to achieve equilibrium with surrounding areas. The use of access rooms to enter and exit main environmental areas is important to minimize transfer of moisture from uncontrolled areas to controlled areas. Another area of concern during the production of effervescent powders is the processing or blending of the raw materials. Conventional blending equipment can be utilized for effervescent powders provided the equipment could be operated in very low humidity areas. All equipment should be well grounded, and capable of being dried absolutely after washdown operations. Any traces of moisture in the equipment will give erratic product results and most likely result in lost batches of product. With the blending of an effervescent product mixture comes the issue of the product stability. Controls must be established to insure that the effervescent powder is consistent in regards to particle size and moisture level. Once the effervescent powder is consistent, storage studies should be done on the effervescent powder product prior to placing it in its final protective package to ascertain the handling and storage conditions, which are acceptable.

Are you still with me, so far I have touched on raw material properties, processing and environmental conditions all having to do with the stability of effervescent products. Finally the most critical factor that has to do with the stability of an effervescent product is the packaging. In the U.S., effervescent powders are most frequently strip wrapped in individual pouches arranged in conveniently sized strips and stacked in a paperboard box. Each dose of effervescent is hermetically sealed in its own container and is not exposed to the atmosphere until the time of use. The most commonly used materials for pouches are heat-sealable, aluminum foil laminates. Aluminum foil laminates are comprised of three layers, a paper outer layer, middle foil layer and a heat sealable inner polyethylene layer the laminates create a flexible, absolute barrier to gases, water vapor, and light. It is nontoxic and immune to microbiological attack. It has excellent heat conductivity, thereby making it an excellent choice for heat-sealing, strip-packaging operations. 

Did you get all of that?

Well if all of that has your head spinning, don’t worry you are in good company 99% of the country doesn’t understand or really care how effervescence are manufactured and this includes a lot of the companies trying to get you to by their products. Only an experienced effervescent manufacturer with pharmaceutically specific-manufacturing facilities are capable of producing an effervescent product following the conditions listed above.

How do you know if the product you are purchasing is manufactured under the pharmaceutical conditions following those listed above? That’s easy;

• buy only effervescent products packaged in individual foil laminate dose pouches, anything sold in plastic or paper pouches are not moisture and air tight

• don’t purchase any product claiming to be an effervescent that’s sold in multiple use containers, even if they claim the container is resealable

• don’t be fooled by the addition of a dryer or a desiccant to a multiple use container, they don’t pull off all of the moisture and any residual moisture will result in an unstable product 

• watch to see if it all dissolves when added to water, if the materials used were not formulate properly your creatine will not dissolve

In my opinion Creatine Edge Effervescent and Muscle Link Creatine Effervescent are the only products that I am aware of that are manufactured under the specific pharmaceutical standards that are required for effervescent products.

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