Comparison: SUPERSONIC Food Powder vs Huel Black Edition

SUPERSONIC and Huel are meal replacement companies that offer customers full-fledged, balanced meals in the form of powder for cocktail preparation. Despite the many similarities, these products differ in many respects: composition, nutritional value, taste and texture. Since we can only assess objective aspects, we will focus only on the composition and nutritional value of both products, leaving the taste issues to each individual assessment. We decided to compare SUPERSONIC Food and Huel Black Edition with each other because of the similar protein content in both products. We are convinced that SUPERSONIC Food has the richest and most interesting composition on the market – we have an infinite number of arguments for it – but the final purchasing decision will of course leave you.

Summary

• Both SUPERSONIC and Huel Black provide a full-fledged protein of plant origin, with SUPERSONIC Food containing 4 sources of vegetable protein, – Huel Black 2 sources of vegetable protein;
• SUPERSONIC Food contains 40 % less simple sugars than Huel Black;
• SUPERSONIC Food contains 56 % less saturated fatty acids than Huel Black;
• SUPERSONIC Food supplies omega 3-6-9 acids in unprocessed and liquid form, and Huel omega 3 and 6 acids in processed, powdered form.
• The SUPERSONIC Food formula has been developed by scientists and nutritionists.

Carbohydrates

The main sources of carbohydrates in SUPERSONIC Food are oatmeal, flaxseed, maca root. Oatmeal and flaxseed mainly provide complex carbohydrates, and beta-glucans. In Huel Black, carbohydrates come from flaxseed, tapioca flour and coconut sugar.

Huel Black, despite its lower than SUPERSONIC total carbohydrate content, has a 40% higher content of simple sugars, derived from plant materials. The amount of carbohydrates in Huel Black is very low and this is not a disadvantage of the product, as long as it represents 1-2 meals per day, and does not replace all – in this case, the amount of carbohydrates delivered from it is only 33% of the daily RWS. This amount is far too low, due to the fact that carbohydrates are the main source of energy, and their deficiency can lead to ketosis and acidosis of the body. It is assumed that the minimum amount of carbohydrates that an adult should consume during the day to provide an adequate amount of glucose for the brain is 130 g (consumption of 5 Huel Black meals during the day provides only 88 g, consumption of 5 SUPERSONIC meals – 150 g) (1).

Fats

Huel Black, compared to SUPERSONIC Food, has a higher fat content, including 36% more saturated fatty acids. This is due to the presence of coconut MCT, which are saturated acids and whose amount in the diet, as recommended by the European Food Safety Authority, should be limited as low as possible to be achieved with a healthy, balanced diet. For this reason, at SUPERSONIC we tried to provide as little saturated fatty acids as possible, while at the same time providing the highest possible amount of mono- and polyunsaturated acids that counteract atherosclerosis and heart disease. Replacing unsaturated saturated fats in the diet can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack (2).

As for omega-3 and omega-6, both Huel and SUPERSONIC are a good source of them, both products contain flaxseed, which provides the necessary for health alpha-linolenic acids (omega-3) and linoleic acid (omega-6) in the right proportions. It should be noted here that in addition, SUPERSONIC also offers a complete innovation in the market of Meal Replacement Products, which are omega-3, -6 and -9 acids added to the product in liquid form in a separate sachet (SUPERSONIC Liquid). They come from flax and hemp oils, which have an ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (3, 4). Fatty acids come in the form of esters, which are characterized by very high bioavailability (the ability of the body to absorb and use substances) and bioretency (the ability to retain substances by body tissues so that they can be used later), so that they bring maximum health effect.

The fatty acid esters added to SUPERSONIC are produced and packaged in single sachets under anaerobic conditions, ensuring their maximum durability and the highest possible quality. The preservation of the liquid form of fats means that they have not been subjected to high-temperature technological processes that may have had a negative impact on their nutritional usefulness. The use of powdered fats (which not only Huel does, but all companies that produce powdered meal replacements) makes them very susceptible to harmful factors causing their degradation, such as oxygen and light. In particular, this applies to mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which oxidize under the influence of oxygen and light, resulting in changes in taste, smell and nutritional value (5). The use of fatty acids in the form of single-point sachets means that at no stage of production and storage they are not exposed to harmful factors, thanks to which they are completely safe and bring maximum health benefits.

Vitamins and minerals

Like SUPERSONIC, Huel tries to compose its formulas so that the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals naturally comes from the components. Thanks to carefully selected vegetable raw materials, the amount of vitamins and ingredients that were not necessary to add is greater in SUPERSONIC Food than in Huel Black. We add 13 ingredients to SUPERSONIC products, including 9 to Food and 4 to Liquid (which ensures their higher quality, durability and assimilation than if they were added to the powder). 16 vitamins and minerals are added to Huel Black.

We are aware of the fact that the chemical forms of added vitamins and minerals are important because they differ in bioavailability. For this reason, we have tried to choose such forms of minerals that their use by the body can be as high as possible and whose price would not increase the final price of the product in such a way that the consumer can feel it. A good example is calcium, which in SUPERSONIC Food occurs in the form of calcium citrate, which is absorbed much better than calcium carbonate present in Huel Black (6). Both SUPERSONIC Food and Huel are enriched with choline, the content of which per 1 serving in both products is the same. In addition, they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are substances that determine the proper functioning of vision and which the human body is not able to produce by itself (7).

Unique ingredients

Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant that has the potential to prevent many diseases, including diseases of the circulatory system, it also has antitumor potential (8) – for this reason we decided to add it to the FORMULA SUPERSONIC Food. Huel Black was also enriched with lycopene.

SUPERSONIC Food in its composition also contains inactive yeast Yarrowia lipolytica Novel Food, which are a source of B vitamins, vitamins C, D and E. They are also characterized by the content of coenzyme Q10, alpha-ketoglutarate and citrulline malic. Coenzyme Q10 is responsible, among other things, for improving heart function, lowering the level of “bad” cholesterol, allowing to normalize blood glucose levels and protects against stroke (9). Citrulline machete is a source of citrulline, which is an amino acid responsible, among other things, for regulating blood pressure and increasing physical performance (10). Studies show that alpha-ketoglutarate and coenzyme Q10 can have an effect on delaying aging processes and supporting the immune system (11). In addition,  Yarrion lipolytica yeast is a source of beta-glucan, which has anti-cancer and immunostimulating effects, mobilizing the immune system to act (12).

Applications

SUPERSONIC and Huel – two companies, two products, but one goal: to provide consumers with a comfortable, fast and tasty meal, while maximal focus on its health aspects. Both products have many similarities, but equally many differences – we believe that everyone will be able to find a product tailored to each other, both in terms of composition and taste. SUPERSONIC is created out of passion, and its main distinguishing feature is precisely the composition, in which nothing is found by chance and each component performs a well-defined, important for your health function.

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Bibliography:

1. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA). (2010). Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFSA Journal,  8(3), 1462.
2. Leizer, C., Ribnicky, D., Poulev, A., Dushenkov, S., & Raskin, I. (2000). The composition of hemp seed oil and its potential as an important source of nutrition. Journal of Nutraceuticals, functional & medical foods,  2(4), 35-53.
3. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA). (2010). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fats, including saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol. EFSA Journal,  8(3), 1461.
4. Waraho, T., McClements, D. J., & Decker, E. A. (2011). Mechanisms of lipid oxidation in food dispersions. Trends in Food Science & Technology,  22(1), 3-13.
5. Goyal, A., Sharma, V., Upadhyay, N., Gill, S., & Sihag, M. (2014). Flax and flaxseed oil: an ancient medicine & modern functional food. Journal of food science and technology,  51(9), 1633-1653.
6. Sakhaee, K., Bhuket, T., Adams-Huet, B., & Rao, D. S. (1999). Meta-analysis of calcium bioavailability: a comparison of calcium citrate with calcium carbonate. American journal of therapeutics,  6(6), 313-321.
7. Roberts, R. L., Green, J., & Lewis, B. (2009). Lutein and zeaxanthin in eye and skin health. Clinics in Dermatology,  27(2), 195-201.
8. Heber, D., & Lu, Q. Y. (2002). Overview of mechanisms of action of lycopene. Experimental biology and medicine,  227(10), 920-923.
9. Littarru, G. P., & Tiano, L. (2010). Clinical aspects of coenzyme Q10: an update. Nutrition,  26(3), 250-254.
10. Allerton, T. D., Proctor, D. N., Stephens, J.M., Dugas, T. R., Spielmann, G., & Irving, B. A. (2018). l-Citrulline supplementation: impact on cardiometabolic health. Nutrients,  10(7), 921.
11. Filip, R., & Pierzynowski, S. G. (2007). The role of glutamine and alpha-ketoglutarate in gut metabolism and the potential application in medicine and nutrition. Journal of Pre-Clinical and Clinical Research,  1(1).
12. Stier, H., Ebbeskotte, V., & Gruenwald, J. (2014). Immune-modulators effects of dietary Yeast Beta-1, 3/1, 6-D-glucan. Nutrition journal,  13(1), 1-9.;]
13. Huel Black Edition. Date of access: 01.02.2021 [https://pl.huel.com/products/huel-black-edition]