In the human body, creatine is naturally made through three amino acids. These acids include Methionine, Glycine, and Arginine. Creatine is also found in meat, but it’s present in small amounts. So, it’s expensive to extract creatine from meat. On the contrary, it’s efficient to manufacture creatine synthetically using two chemicals. Companies use Cyanamide along with Sarcosine which is a sodium salt.
Through the years, the process of making creatine powder has evolved tremendously. But, in general, companies have found it easy to make high-quality creatine. Besides, it has also become easy to acquire high-quality creatine. So, as you read ahead, you can go through how companies make such a kind of powder.
Steps companies follow to make the supplement
- First and foremost, companies make creatine monohydrates through Cyanamide and Sarcosine. These two ingredients are heated with water and pressurized in a reaction vessel. To enhance the chemical reaction, companies will use catalyst compounds. Later, companies cool the resultant liquid and purify it with the help of a centrifuge.
- As the centrifuge spins, companies can remove the unwanted impurities. The liquid is then vacuum-dried and milled into a fine powder. Companies obtain such a kind of creatine supplement to improve dissolvability. In many cases, the team mills crystalline creatine monohydrate to 200 mesh. The team carries out this step to obtain an extremely fine powder.
- To test the powder, companies now use a UV spectrometer. The team then checks whether the powder is as per the certified standards. Post this step, the companies send the sample to a third party. The team sends the sample to ensure whether creatine is 100% pure.
- Eventually, the team fills the powder in a germ-free environment. Before dispatch, the company ensures whether the team has packed and labeled the supplement properly.
- If the company thinks about selling a different form of creatine, then the team will further process creatine monohydrates. At this stage, the creatine is chemically-reacted once again with the essential compound. As the team needs to create a new form, it is more expensive than other types of creatine. Most of the time, you will come across creatine ethyl ester or creatine malate as the different forms of creatine.
A few years back, companies had leveraged microencapsulation technology to develop creatine monohydrates. The result was that the creatine supplement was able to enhance physical strength and muscle endurance. The final product was also able to reduce the loss of lean tissue in trauma patients and aged individuals. As the technique prevents the breakdown of the supplement in water, companies started including the compound in snacks, carbonated energy drinks, and protein beverages.
How should you store the creatine supplement?
Creatine in dry form is stable within the normal heat range. But, if you keep the creatine supplement in a humid environment, then it’s bound to degrade. On the other hand, it’s not better to keep creatine products in an environment where the temperature is more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence, when you are about store creatine in powder form, you need to keep it in a cool and dry environment. You also have to keep in mind to consume the creatine supplement before the expiry date. It is not safe to consume the supplement after the expiry date.
Finally, if you’re unsure about the quality of the creatine supplement, then there’s nothing to worry about. Most of the time, creatine has some traces of sulfate and iron. Moreover, supplement manufacturers test the powder with good manufacturing practices (GMP) in mind. A bit later, manufacturers test the ingredients once again. They later compare the results to those of a Certificate of Analysis (CofA) to ensure whether the analysis is correct. However, it’s better to research to make sure that you buy a high-quality product. In addition, you also need to be sure about the proper procedure the company follows to deliver the product.
