I’ve thought about making my own drink mix from maltodextrin, some simple sugars, electrolytes, some natural flavoring and water. I haven’t done it yet, but maltodextrin is fairly cheap in bulk quantities, as you’re probably aware.

I did some reading on UCAN after a friend posted about a disastrous half marathon, when she had medics attending to her well before completing the race. That’s not to imply that the UCAN caused that. More likely, it was from the cheeseburger and big salad that her paleo diet told her to eat the night before the race, or any number of other things.

Starch is a long-chain polymer of glucose molecules. Maltodextrin is a type of modified corn starch (or possibly wheat starch, especially in Europe), which is created by treating high molecular weight starches with enzymes and/or acids, which break the starch polymers down into shorter chains. My understanding is that UCAN is just a different form of modified corn starch, but of a higher molecular weight than maltodextrin. My $0.02 is that UCAN is nothing but a bunch of marketing hype, which isn’t to say that it’s bad, just grossly overpriced for what it is.

I eat a very healthy, simple diet overall; very little in terms of processed foods. When it comes to running though, I’m sticking with what seems to work for the majority of professional runners, which is a mix of maltodextrin and simple sugars. Maltodextrin isn’t some kind of poison; it’s what would be formed in your stomach when stomach acid and enzymes start breaking down starches.

So, back to the OP’s question about using basic corn starch (like Argo, sold in the supermarket). If it doesn’t upset your stomach during intense, sustained efforts, then great. I think that if I was to make to my own drink mix though, I would stick to maltodextrin, if for no better reason, it dissolves better in water.

Oh, and I was a chemistry major in college, but that was long ago, and that’s not my current field of work. If anything I wrote above is inaccurate, feel free to correct me. I'd be interested to hear about people's experiences using ordinary corn starch though; it certainly is cheap.

Pete

the corn starch will always separate and sink to the bottom of your bottle unless add the cornstarch while the liquid is boiling which will also cause the boiling liquid to thicken (in some cases if you add to much it will become an unpalatable thick goo)

I've done this for a few seasons. The same bag of Malto is still going strong. I used a combination of Maltodextrin and Fructose. Keep in mind there is a maximal amount of glucose that can be absorbed in a 60 minute period, and exceeding that amount will invariable results in an increased intraluminal osmotic effect (bloating, cramping, diarrhea). Interestingly, Fructose uses a separate receptor for absorption, so you can cheat the system (assuming you aren't one of the few individuals who can't absorb fructose) by adding this alternate sugar. lastly, I added a bit of crystal light and sodium chloride to the powdery mix.

It's crazy cheap to do this yourself as long as you have the space to store the ingredients.

Yes, corn startch will not dissolve in water... but when heated as mentioned, it expands and create a "slurry". It also has no flavor, and it will absorb a lot slower since as mentioned, you have to break down the starch with acids and enzymes in your stomach. Same would happen if you ate a potato or a piece of bread. That can be good or bad, but the insolubility is a problem. Lack of flavor is another.

I think overall your better using Maltodextrine and dextrose since they dissolve in water.

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I mix a little cornstarch in water or chicken broth, and add it at the last minute to the wok when I'm doing stir fries. It thickens up the sauce nicely.

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This is why I was thinking of using cornstarch instead of/in addition to maltodextrin. It takes longer to absorb (just like ucan). Less glycogen spike and a more even supply of energy. I can't find much info on regular corn starch though so this could be way off.

That's the sole reason why I have some in my pantry as well.

I've been tinkering with malto powder and gatorade powder, adding salt as needed. Seems really potent. Both are super cheap and definitely proven to do the job. You could do the same with malto and honey.

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I think adding a bit of wine (in addition to soy sauce) is a nice addition.

How cheap is your home brew??? I have a source that sells me a ready-made high fructo energy drink, with 60 mg of caffeine per 8 oz, at 1646 cal/$1.00. Can you beat that???

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

well, I bought a 50lb bag of maltodextrin at $56.

@60g maltodextrin per serving, that works out to 377 servings. For argument's sake, let's say I lose 25 servings somehow via loose powder, etc. Thats 0.16 per serving.

The Fructose is about 0.12 per serving. I don't add caffeine, but that looks dirt cheap as well, with anhydrous caffeine going for about 500g for $30. That's 0.003 per serving at 60mg pr serving.

So, like $0.30. That being said, $1 a serving is super cheap too!

How would your source like some more business?

How many grams fructose per serving???

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I will disclose "my source" after frankis gives me enough data to see if my source is really cheaper:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

30g.

OK, thanks, now we can do a real apples to apples comparison:

Your malto cost in cal/$1.00 = (50 lb/$56.00)(453.6 g/lb)(4 cal/gram) = 1620 cal/$1.00
Your fructo cost in cal/$1.00 = (1 serving/$0.12)(30 gram/serving)(4 cal/gram) = 1000 cal/$1.00

Since you're using 60g malto + 30g fructo per serving, that's a 2:1 ratio so the cost in cal/$1.00 is:

Cost = [(2)(1620) + (1)(1000)]/3 = 1413 cal/$1.00

If you were to use straight malto, your 1620 cal/$1.00 would be roughly equal to my 1646 cal/$1.00, espec considering rounding errors in terms of cal/gram, etc. However, when you add the fructo, that causes your net cost to increase above mine, but still pretty cheap:)

OK, in the interest of full disclosure, my "pre-mixed source" is called Citrus Drop, which is Kroger's brand equivalent of Mountain Dew. It is 130 cal/8 oz and a 2-liter bottle can be bought for $0.6675 if you buy at least four 2-L bottles at one time. Of course, this drink is carbonated and hence must be poured out into an open container to let it de-fizz overnight, but otherwise it requires no mixing. It is def my go-to drink for long workouts, and even for just re-hydration and re-energizing after just an average workout.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I have been trying to find the answer to this one, as well. I have used UCAN and Vitargo and wondered how it differs from plain (non-GMO) corn starch. I have added corn starch to my morning smoothie (thus using a blender and adding protein powder and some other things for flavor). I have also added it to my ordinary (chocolate) protein powder mix; again, using an immersion blender to combine. I suspect the reason I did not have a settling problem is in part by using the blender but also perhaps the thickening action of the protein powder helps.

UCAN, and especially Vitargo, are difficult to dissolve fully as well.