It's All in the Bubbles

By Vishal Patel, 
Chief Nutritionist

One very unique feature in all of Nuun’s products is the delivery system: bubbles. Our products currently are in the form of effervescent tablets, which delivers several benefits by providing an accurate dose, and/or ensuring the nutrients are fully absorbed. An added bonus, there is less waste with our tablets since they provide several servings in a small tube.

So what exactly are effervescent tablets?

Effervescent tablets are “uncoated tablets generally containing acid substances and carbonates or hydrogen carbonates that react rapidly in the presence of water to release carbon dioxide (CO₂).” (1)

To put it simply, our tablets are designed to react with water (fizzing) to help them dissolve and convert the nutrients into a more readily absorbable form.

How does the effervescent tablet provide a more accurate dose?

Our tablets go through vigorous testing to ensure the quality and integrity of our tablets are maintained. First, we establish the desired nutrient values, and after many rounds of testing and development, we get a precise representation. And since our product is compressed into a tablet and then bound, we can ensure that the electrolytes, vitamins and other minerals stay intact.

When dealing with powders, unless you weigh out each serving, you’re often not getting what the serving suggests. So when you drink Nuun, you can be sure that there is 360 mg of sodium in our tablet, as well as other nutrients.

How does effervescence increase absorption?

This has a lot to do with what occurs the second you drop a Nuun tablet into water. You’ll notice it starts fizzing and breaking down immediately. What is occurring is a reaction between an acid, bicarbonate/carbonates, and water. In our case, it's citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium carbonate. During this reaction (while the tablet is dissolving) the sodium bicarbonate converts to a citrate. Studies have shown that citrates are the most bioavailable form of various nutrients, meaning you absorb a higher percentage of the nutrient consumed.

There’s a lot that happens when the tablet gets thrown into water, and all of it is to ensure the product performs at a high level. We know sometimes waiting for the tablet to dissolve can feel like the longest minutes of your life, so here are a few tips to speed up the process:

• Dissolve the tablet in 4 fl oz of water. The less liquid initially introduced, the faster the reaction occurs. Once the tablet is fully dissolved, add the additional water (12 fl oz) to your bottle or pint glass.
• Dissolve the tablet in 4 oz of warm water. The warmer the water, the faster the tablet will dissolve. Once the tablet is fully dissolved in the warm water, add the additional 12 fl oz of cold water to complete the process.
• Break the tablet. Our tablets are scored and can be broken easily to help increase the rate in which the tablet dissolves in water.

Additional resources:

1. World Health Organization. The International Pharmacopoeia. 4th Ed. Vol. 2. N.P: World Health Organization, N.D. Print.