Arla Foods Ingredients unveils nutritious beverage for health-conscious gamers

17 Apr 2024 --- Danish-Swedish dairy multinational Arla Foods Ingredients debuts a high-protein beverage called Progamer. The functional drink is geared toward nutrition-conscious gamers and e-sporters who want to boost gaming performance while maintaining good health.

The ready-to-drink solution contains energy-boosting ingredients and the company’s proprietary whey protein isolate Lacprodan SP-9213, which provides a refreshing taste and is high in branched-chain amino acids.

“There’s a stereotype of gamers binging on unhealthy snacks and guzzling down energy drinks, but a new, nutrition-focused generation is emerging. They want to maintain their energy and concentration levels over marathon sessions, but they also want the many benefits that high-protein products offer,” says Cido Silveira, Arla Foods Ingredients, marketing and business development manager, South America.

“Progamer allows manufacturers to formulate, refreshing, clear, high-protein solutions for gamers who want more from their energy drinks.”

Packing protein
A 310 ml can of Progamer contains 15 g of protein, 3767 mg of branched-chain amino acids and ingredients that provide energy, concentration and heightened vision, such as taurine, magnesium, zinc, caffeine and vitamins A, B3, B6 and B12. Progamer is free of sugar, fat and lactose, with only 60 kilocalories per can.

According to Arla Foods Ingredients, protein plays a crucial role in general health, supporting muscle growth, repair and overall body function. The company’s research has also found that consuming essential amino acids improves attention and cognitive flexibility. A study on esports athletes showed that sufficient protein intake is associated with improved cognitive performance in gaming.

Earlier this year, Arla Foods Ingredients improved its clear protein portfolio with ready-to-mix solutions tailored to consumer activity levels, ranging from weight lifters to yoga practitioners. The three protein water concepts feature specific functionalities like more muscle-building capacity or a milder taste. Two of the three prototypes feature novel whey ingredients, Lacprodan BLG-100 and Lacprodan ISO.WaterShake.

Latin American market
Arla Foods Ingredients will showcase Progamer at the Nutri Ingredients Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, on 23–24 April. The company will highlight growing opportunities for e-sports nutrition products in the Latin American market, where more than 50% of Brazilian gamers alone spend more than 20 hours a week playing.

Two additional clear shake concepts made with whey protein isolate ingredients will be showcased at the summit. Go Natural is a fruit-infused flavored water made with Lacprodan ISO.WaterShake and Go Fresh is a thirst-quenching shake created with Lacprodan ClearShake that has a refreshing lemonade taste.

In addition, the company offers a line of whey proteins based on a patented microparticulation technology to meet the growing consumer demand for protein quality. Branded as Nutrilac ProteinBoost, the product was created to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers and manufacturers. 

By Inga de Jong