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Maurten Drink Mix 320

8
£40.00

VERDICT:

8
10
A very powerful product with only a few small drawbacks, which you can soon get used to
Weight: 
1,260g
Contact: 

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Maurten is a new sports drink packing twice the digestible energy-giving carbohydrate previously deemed possible from one serving of sports product.

  • Pros: Powerful energy boost, neutral flavour, natural ingredients
  • Cons: Unusual texture could put some off, pricey

There's energy drinks and there's energy drinks. As far as Maurten 320 goes, it's a big one. Boasting a humungous 80g carbohydrate per 500ml serve, it packs a serious punch – around double the digestible carb per serve than the majority of other drinks mixes.

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To create a product that enables the body to take on so much carbohydrate an hour requires a bit of science, and Maurten has been very cleverly developed, using a special 'hydrogel technology'.

As Maurten explains on its website: "When mixed with water you have a liquid carbohydrate sports drink containing a high concentration of maltodextrin and fructose. The sports drink instantly converts to hydrogel in the acidity of the stomach. The hydrogel enables a smooth transportation of the drink through the stomach to the intestine where the water, salt and carbohydrates are absorbed."

Fuel up

The commonly accepted theory on carbohydrate ad fuelling is that the most your body can usefully digest and process for muscle fuel in one hour is 80-90g; any more than that and it goes unused, and can cause stomach upset.

It is generally suggested that you need to 'work up' to this limit, maybe starting at 50-60g an hour and increasing the dose – so that your stomach learns how to handle the input over time.

I've trained my body to be able to take on around 70-80g of carbohydrate an hour as I take part in many gran fondos and stage events where this heavy fuelling becomes necessary. However, when doing this I would typically have been taking the carbs from a mix of gels, drinks and solids.

Thus, my first test of Maurten was a slightly nervy one. Would my stomach accept this intense a drink mix? And how would my guts like this hydrogel forming experience? I can tolerate Maurten's 80g carbohydrate dose, but can I manage it when it's all from a drink? Well, safe to say there was no adverse reaction in my stomach when I tested the mix on four occasions.

> How to eat right for sportives and long rides

I used one portion of the 320 mix on its own during a couple of fairly unpleasant interval workouts, which totalled around 90-100 minutes, with around 60 minutes of real intensity within it, the rest easy recovery periods etc – thus matching the brand's recommended dosage per hour, and I certainly felt well fuelled throughout both of these sessions.

My energy levels didn't dwindle, and I could almost feel the impact of every sip of the drink, in the way you can get a bit of a rush from an energy gel (though this can be psychological of course). As always with nutrition products, it's hard to isolate the impact of the product from other factors such as sleep, recovery, and the all-too-rare good legs day. However, there was certainly a strong correlation.

Half strength

Maurten also produces a 160 mix – that is, a half strength variant. This still packs in 40g carbohydrate, which is towards the upper end of what most other products provide. I tried these on some longer rides, where I was using bars and gels at the same time. As such, it's really tough to isolate the effects, but there were certainly no impacts on my stomach and I felt decent throughout the ride.

Flavour-wise, well, there is no flavour really. Maurten is proud to point out that there are only natural ingredients in its mixes, with no artificial preservatives or flavourings. As such, there's not a real 'flavour', but with the 320 mix in particular there is a notable sweetness, almost a cream soda/candy floss type taste. It's not unpleasant, but may take you by surprise. This isn't as noticeable with the 160 mix, being half the strength.

Furthermore, with the 320 mix there is a bit of a mouthfeel to it – a slightly thick, floury sensation in the mouth. It feels like a drink, but one dense with 'stuff', which indeed it is. This takes a few sips to get used to, but I didn't find it an issue.

Don't overfuel…

One thing to be wary of with the 320 mix is the possibility of over-fuelling. If you were to use it in combination with some bars and gels, there's the chance of exceeding the magical 90g carbohydrate/hour threshold that your body can take on. Doing this could lead to possible stomach upset or, more simply, the pooling of the surplus energy as fat reserves. Given that, I'd suggest you use it in isolation, during an event that you know is going to be hard – a road race, criterium, time trial, longer turbo trainer session and so on – where you're not likely to take on any other form of nutrition.

Another thing to note is that the drinks mix doesn't seem to contain electrolyte – so on a long or hot ride, you may want to consider an electrolyte tab in your other bottle. The website makes passing reference to your needing electrolytes when training, but the ingredients list of the mixes doesn't include any of the typical salts you see in an electrolyte mix.

Value

As you'd expect, a new product from a small brand is pricey, with a box of 14 servings of the 320 mix costing €44.80 (£40 from Achilles Heel), or a box of 18 servings of the 160 mix costing €39.20 (£35 from Achilles Heel). However, when comparing this with the only direct competitor, Science In Sport's Beta Fuel (the only other 80g/serving drink on the market), which costs £30 for a box of 12, you can see it's at a similar level.

Also, if you think about the price per gram of carbohydrate, you're comparing Maurten's 320 mix to, say, an energy bar and a serve of 'normal' drinks mix, the two of which together would comprise Maurten's 80g carbohydrate and probably cost in excess of £2 as a bundle. So in that respect, Maurten isn't so bad.

So, Maurten is a super-powerful mix that seems to deliver a real kick. The only things to be wary of are a slightly unusual taste and texture, but after one test run you'll adapt. Is this the future? Could be.

Verdict

A very powerful product with only a few small drawbacks, which you can soon get used to

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Maurten Drink Mix 320 Box

Size tested: Box of 14 servings

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Maurten is, in its own words, a 'carbohydrate-rich and natural sports drink that our bodies can tolerate'.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Maurten's website states a lot about the science, but the main thing to note is that the product works as follows:

'Mix the Drink Mix with water, and you'll have a liquid sports drink containing high concentrations of carbohydrates. The drink instantly converts to hydrogel in the acidity of the stomach, encapsulating the carbohydrates. The hydrogel then enables a smooth transportation of the sports drink through the stomach to the intestine where the water, salt and carbohydrates are absorbed.'

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

The drink kept me very well fuelled on my test rides. The 320 mix delivers that sense of a quick energy boost that you sometimes get from a gel.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

The boxes are pretty pricey, but as an innovative product, it's to be expected. The drink prices up on par with the only other competitor, Science In Sport's Beta Fuel.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The drink performs very well at fuelling high-intensity training, and didn't cause me any stomach issues.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The powerful energy punch and lack of impact on the stomach.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The taste and texture took a few sips to get used to, but was not a massive issue.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The drink prices up on par with the only other competitor, Science In Sport's Beta Fuel.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Probably

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The drink deserves a good score – something around a 9 – for its awesome fuelling potential and clever science. However, I think it could be adapted/improved a little bit to make it slightly more user-friendly, namely by making the texture a little more 'normal'. A lower price would help too. These points knock the drink down to a still very respectable 8/10.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 6ft 1in  Weight: 61kg

I usually ride: Giant TCR / Cannondale Supersix  My best bike is: Giant TCR

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding

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8 comments

Avatar
Mb747 | 5 years ago
0 likes

There are a few Fructose Maltodextrin mixes @90g/hour absorption

High 5 is x4 cheaper than this at under £10/kg in a range of flavours

https://highfive.co.uk/high5-faster-and-further/21-fructose-and-caffeine/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-energy-drink-22kg/

The Torq drink, gels, bars & chews are also 90g/hour absorption, so you dont need to take it all in as liquid, their gels are verg sugary

https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/torq-fuelling-system

Powerbar also have C2Max for increased carb absorption, they do smoothes, which are like thick gels, nice for a change on a long ride

SIS have Beta fuel but thats £2.50 per sachet, not too sugary or strong flavour

Avatar
MNgraveur | 5 years ago
2 likes

This sounds effing horrible. I’d rather bonk.

Avatar
flobble | 5 years ago
0 likes

I know of a couple of pro-triathletes who use this, racing Half-iron & Iron distance, so 4 - 9hrs on the go. One of them regularly suffered with gastro-intestinal problems that were performance limiting. Since switching, no problems at all.

I haven't tried it myself in a race scenario yet, but will let you know in a week...

Avatar
Nick W | 5 years ago
0 likes

..

Avatar
Nick W | 5 years ago
1 like

"If you were to use it in combination with some bars and gels, there's the chance of exceeding the magical 90g carbohydrate/hour threshold that your body can take on. Doing this could lead to possible stomach upset or, more simply, the pooling of the surplus energy as fat reserves."

I dont understand this, you seem to be confusing two situations i) using less energy than you are absorbing (so putting on weight which may be stored as fat) and ii) not being able to absorb beyond a certain limit. Can you explain how the unabsorbed stuff ends up as fat reserves? From my experience if you take too much the stomach upset is because your stomach is letting the stuff go down to your rear end part/undigested instead of being absorbed..

This sounds like a bit of pseudo scientific bo**ocks intended to sell their stuff because there's plenty of manufacturers using mixed carbs to increase uptake. 

I'd be interested to see how your gut is after doing a bottle an hour for 4 or 5 hours. 

Avatar
madcarew | 5 years ago
1 like

I'm sorry, Jim Cotton might be a thoroughly decent guy, but there is no information in this that is more reliable than Maurten's advertising blurb.  It's the same as taking on 2 gels and 750 ml of sports drink in an hour. Except you would have to carry an extra  bottle with just plain water (and electrolytes) to maintain your hydration. As ConcordeCX says, and as Maurten themselves show, it is just sugar, with some alginate and pectin in to make it into a paste. It would be interesting to see the independent research that shows that it does in fact 'hydrogel' in the stomach, and that adds to the rate of hydration. It is complete bollocks, and offers only the risk of taking on excess sugar, and the inconvenience of having to carry a separate electrolyte replacement. 

Avatar
ConcordeCX | 5 years ago
6 likes

It's sugar, salt and a huge overdose of bullshit mixed with bollocks. The pectin and sodium alginate just turn it into jam. Yours for £40-

Avatar
IanMunro | 5 years ago
0 likes

" If you were to use it in combination with some bars and gels, there's the chance of exceeding the magical 90g carbohydrate/hour threshold that your body can take on."

I'm a bit confused. If you can't exceed the 90g an hour limit with this product, what's it's actual advantage over any other existing carb source?

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