I called the maker of M180, M500, etc. Comes in 50# bags.
M180 is abt $26.00/50# + shipping to west coast ~ $30.00
M500 is abt $60.00/50# + shipping to west coast ~ $30.00
For us non maltodextrin experts, how do these products compare to CarboPro? I love the product, but it is very expensive. It seems like a bulk product should do the job.
If you look at the product desciptions for CarboPro (and related products) and for bulk maltodextrin at www.grainprocessing.com you will see that they are virtually identical right down to the “medium to long chain glucose polymers”. If someone can differentate these sources, beyond marketing hype, I would be most interested.
Hey I do not know how these maltodextrins compare to anything. I have used some of the commercial gels and the only ones that bother me are the high fructose ones. I have also used rice syrup and barly malt. The rice syrup was great for ME but I did not like to exercise with the barley malt. I think there are MANY MANY structures possible for maltodextrin. So rice maltodextrin would be different than corn and different than barley.
I suspect that Arnie Baker is correct in his assesment that osmolarity is the key. see:
http://arniebakercycling.com/free_pdf_articles/ABC%20Maltodextrin%20Nutrition.pdf
I am going to buy the M180 to experiment on myself. I plan to try M180 alone and in combination w/ the much more expensive rice syrup. Other than the above comments, all I know is that everyone is different and this may be an area that individuality is greatest. Perhaps the optimal gel is completely individual.
Besides the expense of the prepackaged gels I object to the mess and the garbage created.
I give up. How did you decide on M180 vs. any of the other M’s?
Clueless in FL,
I do not know where to start. So, I am just experimenting. If I had credible advice to start higher I would. Looking at the maker’s website I can compare M180 w/ the M500 that was suggested by Arnie Baker’s above mentioned website. As I read his comments he did not say that the longest form of maltodextrin is better. Just that there is some level that will give the optimum osmotic quality AND give enough calories for each individual. Well, perhaps I read between the lines more than I should have.
I bought a 50 lb bag of the Maltrin M580, which is the quick dissolving mix. It works really well and is very cheap, relative to gels/drinks. If I need quick energy before a swim, bike or run workout, I’ll fill a water bottle full of it and then add about a 1/4 cup of orange juice (or a few teaspoons of lemon juice for flavor), add water and shake it up. If you find the acidity from the citrus juice gives you problems, use a mint tea (or black teas, if you want the advantages of caffiene). The added bonus of using tea is that you can be pretty exacting about the amount of calories in each water bottle since tea is basically calorie-free and 100g of M580 works out to 384 calories.
Give the folks at grainprocessing.com a call; they have spec sheets available and can tell you about the differences between the products
hope this helps.