Creatine gel

A nutritional gel containing creatine and the method of producing the creatine gel. The creatine gel is made by cross linking maltodextrin and a modified starch through an aqueous endothermal reaction at a temperature of approximately 90 degrees Celsius. A buffering agent, such as potassium phosphate, is added to the gel to maintain a pH value at approximately 7.0. The gel is then cooled and creatine is added. Next, the gel is stabilized bacteriologically by adding a preservative, such as potassium sorbate to the gel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Technical Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to nutritional supplements, and more particularly, 
to a nutritional gel containing creatine and the method of producing the 
creatine gel. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Nutritional supplementation is used by many people for a wide variety of 
reasons, such as improving one's diet, increasing one's exercise output, 
and preventing various ailments. Recently, one of the most popular 
supplements is creatine. 
Creatine is a nutrient which is found in many foods and is stored within a 
human body's muscle cells. Creatine is one of the main sources of energy 
for muscles. Humans receive most of the creatine they need from food or 
dietary supplements. When a person does not consume enough creatine to 
meet the body's requirements, creatine production occurs in the liver, 
pancreas and kidneys. 
Creatine is important for providing an energy source for muscular 
contractions. When a person's muscles contract, the initial fuel source is 
a chemical compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the 
energy to contract a person's muscles by releasing one of its phosphate 
molecules. The ATP then converts to another chemical compound, adenosine 
diphosphate (ADP). The energy produced from the release of the phosphate 
molecules lasts only about ten seconds, therefore, more ATP must be 
expended for continued muscle contraction. Creatine provides the source 
for replacing the missing phosphate molecules for ADP to convert to ATP, 
thereby providing the energy source necessary for continued muscular 
activity. Once the creatine provides the phosphate molecule to the ADP 
compound forming ATP, the newly reformed ATP may be re-used again. 
The ability to regenerate ATP depends primarily on the body's supply of 
creatine. The more creatine available in the person's body, the more ATP 
remade, and the greater the ability for the person to use his muscles. 
This greater ability to use one's muscles is highly advantageous to a 
training athlete. Providing an increased supply of nutrients necessary to 
expend energy results in greater performance results during training. 
Another energy source comes from glycolysis, which forms lactic acid as a 
by-product. This lactic acid creates the burning sensation a person feels 
in his muscles during intense exercise. If the amount of lactic acid 
becomes too great, muscle movement stops. However, when a person continues 
to use ATP as the primary energy source, other energy sources are 
minimized, such as from glycolysis. Thus, by using ATP, instead of 
utilizing the glycolysis process, lactic acid production is minimized, 
enabling a person to exercise longer and harder. 
Therefore, creatine supplementation is very beneficial to a training 
athlete. Increased performance through creatine dietary supplementation is 
well known throughout the sports world. However, there are several 
problems in using creatine. First, creatine converts to creatinine over a 
period of time. Creatinine cannot be used to supplement the additional 
phosphate necessary to form ATP, therefore is not a useful supplement. 
Creatine converts to creatinine at a greater rate when it is mixed with 
water, or any other soluble liquid. Because of the instability of creatine 
within liquids, creatine is presently offered to users in only two forms, 
pills and powder. 
Creatine powder has some disadvantages. A user must have a container and 
some liquid for mixing with the creatine powder. When the user desires to 
ingest the creatine powder, usually right before exercising, he must mix 
the creatine powder and the liquid in the container. This process can be 
time consuming and messy, and may result in spillage during the transfer 
of the creatine powder into its container. 
Creatine pills are not always the optimum method of dietary 
supplementation. Many people have difficulty swallowing pills. 
Additionally, if a person chews the pills, the creatine may not be fully 
absorbed prior to the person commencing exercising. Pills also have the 
added disadvantage of having a bitter taste. 
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the 
aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, a 
prior art reference that discusses subject matter that bears some relation 
to matters discussed herein is U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,375 to Sueoka (Sueoka). 
Sueoka discloses a process for producing a beverage comprising creatine as 
a main ingredient. The process comprises the steps of heating water 
rendered weakly alkaline and adding between one and three grams per 100 cc 
of a crystalline creatine powder to the heated water. Next, the creatine 
powder is dissolved by stirring the creatine powder into the heated water, 
forming a creatine aqueous solution. Then an additive is added to the 
creatine aqueous solution for improving the taste. Finally the creatine 
aqueous solution is sterilized to obtain a creatine beverage having a pH 
value between 7 and 10. However, Sueoka merely discloses a creatine 
liquid. Sueoka does not teach or suggest a creatine supplement which 
prevents the rapid conversion of creatine to creatinine. 
Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have a creatine supplement which 
does not quickly convert to creatinine and is easily and conveniently 
ingested by a person. It is an object of the present invention to provide 
such a supplement and method of producing it. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In one aspect, the present invention is a creatine gel which is produced by 
a process. The process includes creating a gel. The gel is formed by cross 
linking maltodextrin and a modified starch through an aqueous endothermal 
reaction between a temperature range of 70 and 100 degrees Celsius. Next, 
a buffering agent is added to the gel to maintain a pH value of 
approximately 7.0 within the gel. Creatine is then added to the gel. The 
gel is stabilized bacteriologically by adding a preservative to the gel. 
In another aspect, the present invention is a process for producing a 
creatine gel. The process begins by creating a gel. The gel is formed 
through an aqueous endothermal reaction between a temperature range of 70 
and 100 degrees Celsius. Next, a buffering agent is added to the gel to 
maintain a pH value of approximately 7.0 within the gel. The creatine is 
then added to the gel. The gel is then stabilized bacteriologically by 
adding a preservative to the gel. 
In still another aspect, the present invention is a process for producing a 
creatine gel. The process begins by creating a gel. The gel is formed by 
cross linking maltodextrin and a modified starch through an aqueous 
endothermal reaction at a temperature of approximately 90 degrees Celsius. 
Next, a buffering agent is added to the gel to maintain a pH value of 
approximately 7.0 within the gel. The gel is then cooled. Then, creatine 
is added to the gel and stabilized bacteriologically by adding a 
preservative to the gel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention is a nutritional gel containing creatine, and the 
method of producing the creatine gel. 
Creatine converts to creatinine over at period of time. Additionally, the 
conversion rate of creatine to creatinine is typically increased when 
mixed with a soluble liquid. The creatine conversion rate is very pH 
dependent, with greater stability achieved at a higher pH value. 
Optimally, to produce a creatine gel, maximum chemical stability is 
achieved at a pH value of approximately 7.0 (pH value between 6.5 and 
8.0). 
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the steps for producing a creatine gel. 
In step 10, a gel is created by cross linking maltodextrin and modified 
starch (e.g., corn starch) through an aqueous endothermal reaction at 
approximately 90 degrees Celsius. In alternate embodiments of the present 
invention, other chemicals such as xanthan gum, acacia gum or arabic gum 
may be used instead of maltodextrin. However, a temperature range from 70 
to 100 degrees Celsius may be used. 
Next, in step 12, a buffer of potassium phosphate is added to the gel to 
maintain a pH value of approximately 7.0 (pH value between 6.5 and 8.0). 
Although potassium phosphate is the preferred buffer, other chemicals may 
be used, such as mono-sodium-citrates, di-sodium-citrates, 
tri-sodium-citrates, sodium-malate, potassium-malate, calcium malate, 
mono-sodium L-(+)-tartrate, and di-sodium L-(+)-tartrate. 
In step 14, the gel is preferably cooled to a temperature between 45 and 55 
degrees Celsius. Bacteria may form below 45 degrees Celsius. If the gel is 
cooled to a higher temperature than 55 degrees Celsius, the gel remains a 
liquid rather than a gel. Next, in step 16, creatine is added to the gel. 
The creatine is preferably added to the gel after it is cooled to prevent 
excessive degradation of creatine to creatinine. The gel may also be 
formed by utilizing pre-gelatinized starches at low temperatures. However, 
gels using these pre-gelatinized starches are less stable and may 
encourage bacteriological problems in a finished product. 
In step 18, the gel is stabilized bacteriologically. In the preferred 
embodiment, the preferred preservative is potassium-sorbate. However, in 
alternate embodiments, other preservatives may be used, such as 
sodium-sorbate, calcium-propionate, potassium-propionate, sodium 
L-ascorbate, and calcium-benzoate. 
The creatine gel provides many benefits. The gel is easily ingested by a 
person. There is no preparation necessary prior to using the gel. In 
addition, the creatine gel converts from creatine to creatinine at a very 
slow rate, allowing for a longer shelve-life of the creatine gel. 
It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present 
invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the 
method and gel shown and described has been characterized as being 
preferred, it will be readily apparent that various changes and 
modifications could be made therein without departing from the spirit and 
scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.