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May 2012 Articles

Spiritual Corner
Notes from Germany
Just Rambling, May 2012
Forage Management Strategies
Agriculture and the EPA Source
Recognizing Stress in Horses
Beef Cattle Management Calendar
Red Ink causes Feedlot Placements to Decline
• New sports drink hits market with Covington, LSU AgCenter roots
Wheat harvest looks good, research skewed by unusual weather
Soybean acreage goes up as farmers look for better prices
April 24 Detection of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Changed Cow Slaughter Mix
Louisiana cotton acreage goes down, mirroring nationwide trend
Turkey gnats pose problems for birds
Agricultural land rents increase with commodity prices
Ground Beef Prices
Corn Acreage is Big News in USDA Planting Report
Withdrawal of the Overreaching Child Labor Labor Proposal
AFBF Analysis Sees Soybeans as New Market Driver
New Bill Would Preserve Clean Water Act
AFBF Backs Senate and House Bills Reforming Estate Tax
Notes from Germany
Seeking Balance
Emergency Chocolate Pie

(25 articles found)

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New sports drink hits market with Covington, LSU AgCenter roots

New sports drink hits market with Covington, LSU AgCenter roots Source: LSU AgCenter

A new sports drink is hitting the market, and its origins are in Louisiana. It’s called EX5. The “5” refers to the drink’s five benefits – quicker recovery, less sodium, lower calories, more electrolytes and less sugar, says inventor Brian Brothers, of Covington, La. Brothers said he got the idea for a new drink while watching sporting events on television. So starting with the idea of improving sports drinks, he spent 6 months on the Internet, researching sports drink components such as sugar, sodium & important electrolytes. One of the shortcomings of most drinks, he decided, is the low amounts of potassium and other electrolytes. “I put together a formula and found that potassium creates a bad taste,” Brothers said. But to be effective, he believed, a new concoction needed a higher level of the element than other drinks on the market. His next step was to contact the LSU AgCenter’s Food Science Department. “I wanted to find a graduate who works for a company that could help me develop a new product,” he said. Instead of finding an employee in a commercial company, Brothers found John Finley, head of the Department of Food Science, who said he would help with technology and formulation. As it turns out, Finley and a group of food science faculty and students had developed a product that masks the bitterness of potassium and similar foods. The meeting with Finley, Brothers said, was “totally coincidental.” Along with Finley, the development team included graduate student Darryl Holliday, LSU AgCenter scientist Joan King, graduate assistant Adriana Soto and research associate Alfredo Prudente. “The technology aids in taste,” Brothers said. “Without the technology, there would be a bitter taste because of the electrolytes and reduced sugar.” The technology has additional applications for medicines and foods, Finley said. “It’s a simple way to mask flavors many don’t like. And its application to a sports drink is amazing.” After spending almost a year researching his new product and another year with Finley and his researchers, Brothers and his business partner, attorney Craig Hart, established H&B Beverages. The company has licensed the AgCenter technology and contracted with two companies to produce the base of his drink and put it into bottles. The new drink has hit the shelves in limited amounts in the Baton Rouge area, and the company expects statewide distribution in Louisiana by summer. Along with retail distribution, the company has arranged with several state high schools and colleges to use EX5 in their athletic training programs. The company supplies the athletic programs with bulk power to mix with water to make larger quantities of the drink. “The AgCenter took a risk with a start-up company,” Brothers said. “And it’s paying off.”

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