Food-grade gel systems as emerging platforms in sports nutrition: Structure, applications, challenges, and future directions

Abstract

Food-grade gels are emerging as versatile platforms in sports nutrition, offering advantages beyond conventional liquids and solids through their tunable structures, rheological properties, and controlled release behaviors. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current advances, highlighting how protein-, polysaccharide-, and composite-based gels function as nutrient carriers while modulating gastrointestinal dynamics, enzyme accessibility, and molecular interactions to optimize nutrient absorption and bioactive stability. Special attention is given to stimuli-responsive gels, which adapt to physiological triggers such as pH, temperature, ionic strength, and enzymatic activity, enabling spatiotemporal precision in nutrient release. On the application side, evidence supports their roles in pre-exercise energy stabilization, in-exercise carbohydrate–electrolyte delivery, and post-exercise recovery through sustained amino acid supply, glycogen resynthesis, antioxidant protection, and probiotic targeting. Yet, challenges remain regarding formulation optimization, large-scale processing, and personalized strategies that match the diverse metabolic demands of athletes. Looking forward, the integration of AI-driven formulation, multi-stimuli gel systems, and advanced 3D/4D/5D printing technologies promises to accelerate the development of personalized and sustainable gel-based sports nutrition. By bridging structural design with physiological outcomes, this review positions food gels as next-generation platforms to enhance athletic performance and long-term health resilience.