L-carnitine, as a new type of nutritional fortifier, especially as an additive for infant formula, athletes’ food and diet food, has been widely used in functional foods. Commercially available L-carnitine is mainly its hydrochloride, tartrate and magnesium citrate.
1. Application in infant formula: L-carnitine plays an important role in the metabolic process of infants using fat as an energy source. Due to the weak biosynthetic capacity of L-carnitine in infants, it cannot meet its normal metabolism needs Therefore, it is necessary to take exogenous L-carnitine to ensure that the body’s fat is in an optimal oxidized state and provide sufficient energy to maintain the normal temperature of the baby. In addition, L-carnitine can also promote the growth and development of infants and children, and improve metabolic balance. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen L-carnitine in infant foods, especially infant formula based on soybeans, because the content of L-carnitine in soybeans is very low. The L-carnitine limit for infant formula in China is 70-90 mg / kg. At present, L-carnitine-fortified infant formula in China has been on the market.
2. Application in food for athletes: It is reported that the concentration of free carnitine in human muscle tissue will decrease by 20% after strenuous exercise, and it is believed that carnitine supplementation can improve the fatigue of the body, because L-carnitine can promote fat in the body Oxidation provides sufficient energy for the body, which is conducive to the improvement of sports endurance and explosive power. If octadecanol and L-carnitine are used in combination, they will have a synergistic effect on physical strength, including relaxation of whole body muscles, improvement of explosive power and endurance, increase of basal metabolic rate, and improvement of nutritional status of the myocardium. A common method is to add L-carnitine to athletes’ drinks for fortification.
3. Application in slimming and bodybuilding foods As early as the 1970s, there were patent reports of using DL-carnitine for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Subsequently, DL-carnitine was replaced by L-carnitine due to the negative effect found. Practice has proved that L-carnitine-fortified foods have a better effect on fat metabolism disorders caused by carnitine deficiency in the body, and can prevent obesity, fatty liver and other diseases caused by the accumulation of lipids in muscle fibers and liver. Sangtian believes that obese types with insufficient exercise accumulate more fat in the body and have lower carnitine biosynthetic capacity. By ingesting L-carnitine, they can effectively convert excess fat in the body into energy and play a role in preventing obesity. Therefore, lipid-lowering foods with L-carnitine as the main ingredient are very popular in the European market.
Post time: Mar-10-2020