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. 2020 Dec 9;17(1):63.
doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00384-3.

Ingestion of maple-based and other carbohydrate sports drinks: effect on sensory perceptions during prolonged exercise

Lorianne Lavoie  1 , Jonathan Tremblay  2
Affiliations

Ingestion of maple-based and other carbohydrate sports drinks: effect on sensory perceptions during prolonged exercise

Lorianne Lavoie et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Taste and appreciation of sports drinks can affect perceived exertion during exercise. Anecdotal evidence shows that maple products are regularly consumed by recreational and professional athletes but very few studies have reported on their effects during exercise. The purpose of the current study is to report the taste, appreciation and perceived exertion following the ingestion of maple-based sports drinks and other carbohydrate drinks during prolonged exercise.

Methods: Recreationally and competitively active male subjects (n = 76, mass = 73.7 ± 10.3 kg, maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) = 4.4 ± 0.5 L/min, maximal aerobic power (MAP) = 309 ± 42 W) ingested one of four carbohydrate solutions (all at 60 g CHO/L): concentrated maple sap (MW), diluted maple syrup (MS), glucose (G), a commercial sports drink (CSD), or a placebo (P; water sweetened with stevia) at every 30 min during 120 min of steady-state exercise (SSE) on a cycle ergometer at 66% MAP. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, Borg CR-10) were recorded at each 30 min throughout SSE. A questionnaire was administered to assess sensory characteristics (sweetness, acidity, refreshing, and overall taste on a visual analogue scale, converted to decimals from 0 to 1) and appreciation (sweet, acid and overall on a 9-point hedonic scale) 30 min before (immediately after the first ingestion) and immediately after SSE.

Results: Sweetness was perceived to be higher for MW than G and P (pre: 0.60 ± 0.19, 0.51 ± 0.17 and 0.50 ± 0.17 and post: 0.69 ± 0.19, 0.34 ± 0.18 and 0.48 ± 0.22; p < 0.05, respectively) and MS was rated higher than MW for the appreciation of the sweet taste (pre: 6.5 ± 1.5 vs. 4.6 ± 1.8 and post: 6.8 ± 1.8 and 4.1 ± 1.8; p < 0.05, respectively). Furthermore, subjects that had ingested MW, reported a significantly lower RPE than those with P at 120 min (14.1 ± 2.2 vs. 16.0 ± 2.0, respectively).

Conclusions: A sports drink containing maple syrup is well appreciated during prolonged exercise and appears to be a viable alternatives to more common sources of carbohydrates.

Trial registration: NCT02880124 . Registered on 26 August 2016.

Keywords: Beverage acceptability; Endurance; Maple; Palatability; Sports drinks.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean ratings ± SD of sweet, refreshing and acid taste intensity for each experimental condition, pre- and post-exercise (20-cm scale, converted to a fraction from 0 to 1). MW had a higher sweet taste than G (a); MW and CSD both had a higher sweet taste than P (b); MW was less refreshing than G (c); CSD has a higher acid taste than all other conditions (d). Interaction (ingestion x time) showing a significant change in sweet taste (e) over the exercise period. The refreshing taste was significantly higher pre- than post-exercise in all conditions (main effect)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mean ratings ± SD of overall, sweet taste, acid taste and aroma appreciation for each ingestion condition, pre- and post-exercise (9-point hedonic scale). MW was less appreciated (overall) than all other conditions (a); had a lower appreciation of sweet taste (b) and aroma than MS (c); overall appreciation significantly decreased during exercise (main effect of time) for all ingestions
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mean ± SD for RPE every 30 min of the SSE for each experimental condition (Borg scale). RPE is lower with MW ingestion than with P (*)
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