Homemade Gel #1 - Juice, Maltodextrin & Citric Acid

As I didn't have some of the basic ingredients in my pantry last night - such as Fructose and Pectin to make the basic gel base, I decided to follow a basic recipe which I found online here.

Final Product - Raspberry Gel #1

Their basic method was 3 parts maltodextrin and 1 part juice. I used Emma & Tom's Thirst Quencher in Raspberry (I like Hammer Raspberry gels) and the maltodextrin I had in the house..not sure what brand it was brand so here is a picture Natural Health Supplements (NHS) . I bought it from Evelyn Faye on Bourke St Melbourne but they also have an online shop.  

What I did:
I boiled the 1 cup of raspberry juice into a concentrate (reduced the volume slightly). I did have a taste of the juice prior to boiling and during to gauge the level of acidity (sourness) and did notice a significant difference with the more concentrated juice. I didn't really noticed how long I simmered it for....maybe 10min.

I then added the maltodextrin - used my old Gatorade scoops and spooned 2 in at a time, stirred until dissolved and repeat. I ended up adding about 6 scoops until the powder refused to dissolve any further.  The liquid was clumpy and cloudy until the maltodextrin dissolved completely into a clear liquid. I added a few drops of lemon juice (the ones you buy in a yellow squeezy bottle in the supermarket) in the mix, don't ask me why, I just did it because most recipes call for citric acid. The finished product had the consistency of honey.

When all powder was dissolved

I took the saucepan off the stove and poured the liquid into a glass to cool. I did notice a thin film was formed on the top quick. 

Once cooled, I poured the gel into one of my flask and placed in the fridge. I will try out the formula on the weekend (half during ride and half during the trail run).

Notes:

1. Even though I had added 8 scoops of powder, only about 6 dissolved properly (approx 100g of maltodextrin): Energy 382 Cal (1598kJ), 94g carbohydrates (16g sugar), <1g salt.
2. 1 cup of juice has about the following: Energy 40 Cal (165kJ), 9g carbohydrates (100% sugar), 7mg salt, Vitamin C (65mg).
3. I am not a food scientist but with basic mathematics skills, the formula which I made is for about 4 servings based on the nutritional panel of some gels I had lying around the house
4. Keeping in mind the 4:1 formula for energy gels (4 parts complex to 1 part simple) - 1 serving of my gel would equate to 100-105Cal made up of 26g of carbohydrates (with 6.5g of simple sugars). Will try out this weekend to see how it goes!
5. Cost of this experiment (4 serves of gels) approximately $4 (Australian).

Conclusion & Comments:

Tried out this recipe (consumed it) over the weekend (5th May) and I am happy to report that it worked well. I didn't have an upset stomach and the consistency of the gel worked once it was out of the fridge.

I will use this same method and use apple juice instead and see how the taste carries in a gel form.