Bespoke muscle health supplement manufacturing
British VitaTech is a muscle health supplement manufacturer that develops and makes custom muscle health supplements for brands worldwide, from formulation to finished product, and the brand owns the formula.
Reviewed on
Protein, creatine and vitamin D formulas for ageing muscle
Working as a muscle health supplement manufacturer in our Leicester facility, we take custom muscle health supplements for brands from formulation to finished product, built on protein, creatine, vitamin D and other nutrients with authorised claims. We make powders, sachets and stick packs carrying 25 to 30 g of protein a serving, 3 g of creatine or a daily HMB dose, capsules and tablets for vitamin D, magnesium and HMB, and gummies, liquids, shots and protein drinks. Each formula is built for older adults, active adults over 55 or people using GLP-1 medicines, with claims written for the UK, EU and US, and every batch comes with a certificate of analysis.
Muscle health supplements sit within our healthy ageing supplements category. Muscle mass and strength fall with age, and the PROT-AGE study group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for people over 65 (Bauer and colleagues, 2013). A joint advisory from four US medical and nutrition societies lists muscle preservation through resistance training among the nutrition priorities for GLP-1 users; in a study it cites, lean mass made up 38% of the weight lost on semaglutide (Mozaffarian and colleagues, 2025). See GLP-1 support supplements.
We specify every active by form, grade and dose, and screen it against the GB register and the EU Union list.
Protein and leucine
We work with whey isolate and concentrate, milk proteins, and pea, rice, soy and faba proteins, chosen on quality: in DIAAS studies in pigs, dairy proteins scored 100 or more and pea protein concentrate below 75 (Mathai, Liu and Stein, 2017), so plant formulas use blends. Collagen peptides contain no tryptophan, so they sit beside complete proteins, never as the base. Leucine acts as a signal for muscle protein synthesis, and the International Society of Sports Nutrition gives 700 to 3,000 mg of leucine per serving, within 20 to 40 g of protein (Jäger and colleagues, 2017). See protein powder manufacturing.
Creatine monohydrate
A 2022 critical review found monohydrate is still the only source of creatine with substantial evidence for bioavailability, efficacy and safety (Kreider and colleagues, 2022). It is about 88% creatine, so 3 g of creatine takes about 3.4 g of monohydrate. See creatine supplement manufacturing.
HMB
Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a metabolite of leucine: about 5% of dietary leucine is converted to it (Zhou and colleagues, 2025). In a crossover study of 16 young adults given 1 g of HMB, calcium HMB showed higher bioavailability than the acid form, HMB-FA (Ribeiro and colleagues, 2024). The International Society of Sports Nutrition puts the studied intake at 38 mg per kg of body weight a day, about 3 g split into three servings (Wilson and colleagues, 2013). As of October 2026, HMB can be used in EU food supplements without novel food authorisation, and no HMB claim is authorised in GB or the EU. In the US, calcium HMB is sold in dietary supplements with structure and function claims.
Vitamin D and minerals
Vitamin D, calcium, magnesium and potassium each carry a muscle function claim. We use vitamin D3 from lanolin, or from lichen for vegan products, with calcium, magnesium and potassium salts chosen for absorption and taste.
Exercise mimetics
Urolithin A and NAD+ precursors are studied as exercise mimetics, on thin human evidence: a 2025 meta-analysis of randomised trials in older adults found that NMN and nicotinamide riboside did not improve muscle mass, grip strength or walking speed (Prokopidis and colleagues, 2025). Both are regulation-dependent, as our pages on urolithin A supplements and NAD and NMN supplements set out.
Older muscle needs more protein per meal
Dose. Older muscle needs more protein per meal for the same response: in a retrospective analysis of pooled studies, muscle protein synthesis plateaued at about 0.40 g of protein per kg of body weight per meal in older men, against 0.24 g in younger men (Moore and colleagues, 2015). For a 70 kg adult that is about 28 g, so we design servings for older customers at 25 to 30 g of high-quality protein. On GB and EU labels, a "source of protein" needs at least 12% of energy from protein; vitamin and mineral claims need at least 15% of the nutrient reference value in the daily portion, which for vitamin D is 0.75 µg.
Absorption. Muscle takes up more creatine with carbohydrate, through the insulin response (Green and colleagues, 1996). Vitamin D3 is fat-soluble, so softer formats carry it in a lipid base. Labels advise anyone taking medicines to speak to their doctor or pharmacist before use.
Stability. In solution, creatine cyclises to creatinine, faster as pH falls: solutions held for 72 hours at 25°C lost 4% of their creatine at pH 5.5 and 21% at pH 3.5 (Jäger and colleagues, 2011). So creatine drinks need stability data on creatine and creatinine. Protein powders brown through the Maillard reaction when reducing sugars, heat and moisture meet, so we control water activity and use non-reducing sweeteners.
Powders for up to 30 g of protein, gummies for vitamin D and creatine
- Powders, sachets and stick packs carry 25 to 30 g of protein, 3 g of creatine or a daily HMB dose, made in Leicester.
- Capsules and tablets carry vitamin D, magnesium and HMB. Capsules are GMP certified, and we keep tablets within the 22 mm largest dimension that FDA's guidance on generic tablets recommends (FDA, 2022); see capsule and tablet manufacturing.
- Gummies and chews carry vitamin D and creatine at an honest serving count. Gummies are GMP certified, with an active assay on every batch as standard.
- Liquids, shots and protein drinks deliver vitamin D and protein in a few mouthfuls or a ready-to-drink bottle; liquids are GMP certified.
- Combination formulas put protein, creatine and vitamin D into one daily serving for active adults over 55, the audience the creatine strength claim was written for. For joint pairings, see joint supplement manufacturing.
Every format is made in our Leicester facility, which is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered.
Why a muscle health supplement manufacturer runs blind sensory panels
Every formula runs through our development stages: brief, evidence review, formulation, bench samples, blind sensory panels, a pilot batch on production equipment, stability in the final pack, and scale-up. Each stage leaves a record you keep. Sensory work matters most here, because powders are judged on taste, mixability and mouthfeel as well as dose.
- Brief and claims plan. Claim conditions set the doses, so we agree markets and claims first.
- Supplier approval and specification. Every material comes from an approved supplier, against a specification for identity, content, heavy metals and microbiology.
- Weighing and pre-blending. Microgram vitamin D is pre-blended before the main mix, and blends are mixed to a specified uniformity.
- Forming and filling. Powders and stick packs are filled by weight, capsules to a set fill weight and tablets compressed and coated; gummies take creatine late in the cook, then dry to a target water activity.
- Packing. Powders go into tubs, pouches or foil-laminate stick packs, with a scoop sized to the serving; capsules and tablets into bottles with induction seals or blisters; gummies into jars or resealable pouches.
- Labels and release. Labels are verified on every batch as our critical control point, and quality control releases every batch against its specification; nothing is dispatched without its sign-off.
The critical steps are blend uniformity for microgram nutrients, moisture control, milk and soy allergen control under our allergen management plan, and the label check.
Protein, vitamin D and creatine claims, and none for HMB
Claims follow the register, not the research. The table sets out the position as of October 2026, from the GB register of permitted claims, the EU register and US law.
| Market | Claims you can use | Conditions and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | "Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass"; "Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass"; "Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function"; "Calcium contributes to normal muscle function", with the same wording for magnesium and potassium; "Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise"; "Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55". | The protein, vitamin D and mineral claims each need at least a source of that nutrient. Both creatine claims need 3 g a day: the first only on foods for adults performing high-intensity exercise; the second only on foods for adults over 55 in regular resistance training, telling consumers the effect comes with resistance training at least three times per week for several weeks, at an intensity of at least 65 to 75% of one repetition maximum load. Reworded claims must keep the authorised meaning. No authorised muscle claim covers HMB, leucine, urolithin A or NAD+ precursors. |
| European Union | The same wording from the EU register. | The same conditions, enforced by each member state. |
| United States | Structure and function claims backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence, notified to FDA, with FDA's standard disclaimer. A protein claim brings a percent Daily Value from PDCAAS-corrected protein. | No medical claims. New York bans under-18 sales of supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building, excluding protein powders and drinks unless another ingredient brings them in, and California adds a similar ban from 1 January 2027. |
We regard "healthy ageing" wording as a general benefit, which in GB and the EU may appear only beside a specific authorised claim. Words naming a medical condition stay off labels and adverts. In GB and the EU no authorised claim refers to GLP-1, and UK advertising rules regard claims of an effect on GLP-1 production as medicinal.
Nitrogen alone can't tell protein from creatine
Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) as part of every order, to a programme set per product and market, as our testing and batch release page explains.
- Protein as Kjeldahl nitrogen multiplied by 6.25, plus the amino acid profile, because nitrogen methods cannot tell protein from added amino acids or creatine.
- Creatine and HMB by HPLC, with creatinine; vitamin D by HPLC or LC-MS; minerals by ICP methods.
- Contaminants: lead, cadmium and mercury against the EU limits for food supplements of 3.0, 1.0 and 0.10 mg/kg, plus microbiology.
- Stability: accelerated and real-time studies on every new formula.
Every batch comes with a certificate of analysis and a batch release confirmation, and development adds the formula, the specification with its test methods, stability data and a claims review for each market. We keep three retained samples per batch for shelf life plus one year. For brands that sell to tested athletes, Informed Sport certification is arranged for your product. R&D is a paid stage that can be included with an order of the right size. Your formula is yours. Start your project.
References: Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (2012); Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/672 (2017); Bauer and colleagues, PROT-AGE position paper (2013); Moore and colleagues, protein dose and muscle protein synthesis by age (2015); Wilson and colleagues, ISSN position stand on HMB (2013); Ribeiro and colleagues, HMB bioavailability (2024); Prokopidis and colleagues, NAD precursors and muscle, meta-analysis (2025); Mozaffarian and colleagues, US joint nutrition advisory (2025).
Where this is going
To 2030
Up strongly: GLP-1 lean-mass loss and ageing make muscle health a mainstream need
To 2036
Up: muscle health with age becomes a core healthy-ageing category
What to watch
Debate over whether GLP-1 lean-mass loss matters clinically; whey costs
Questions brands ask
What does a muscle health supplement manufacturer do?
A muscle health supplement manufacturer develops and produces products for the muscle health category, from formulation to finished product. At British VitaTech that means choosing protein, creatine, HMB and vitamin D at the doses their claims require, designing formats older adults take every day, and writing the claims each market allows. We make powders, stick packs, capsules, tablets, gummies and liquids in Leicester, every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories, and the brand owns the formula.
Which authorised claims can a muscle health supplement use in the UK and EU?
Nutrient claims, with their conditions. As of October 2026, "Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass" needs at least a source of protein, and "Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function" at least a source of vitamin D, with matching muscle function claims for calcium, magnesium and potassium. Creatine carries "Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55", at 3 g a day with regular resistance training.
Can you make HMB supplements?
Yes. We make HMB powders, stick packs and capsules, usually with calcium HMB, which showed higher bioavailability than the acid form in a 2024 crossover study. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand puts the studied intake at about 3 g a day, split into three servings. As of October 2026, no HMB claim is authorised in GB or the EU, so labels carry the authorised claims of the protein, vitamin D or creatine in the formula.
How do you set protein doses for older customers?
From the evidence on older muscle. The PROT-AGE study group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for people over 65, and a retrospective analysis found muscle protein synthesis plateaued at about 0.40 g per kg per meal in older men, against 0.24 g in younger men. For a 70 kg adult that is about 28 g, so we design servings at 25 to 30 g of high-quality, leucine-rich protein.
Can muscle health products be sold to people using GLP-1 medicines?
Yes, as nutrition products carrying nutrient claims. As of October 2026, no authorised claim in GB or the EU refers to GLP-1, and UK advertising rules regard claims of an effect on GLP-1 production as medicinal. Products built on protein, creatine and vitamin D carry their own authorised claims, such as "Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass". A joint US advisory lists muscle preservation through resistance training among the nutrition priorities for these users.
Can a supplement claim to build strength in older adults?
Only within creatine's authorised claim. As of October 2026, "Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55" may be used in GB and the EU on foods for adults over 55 in regular resistance training, with 3 g of creatine a day. Reworded claims must keep the authorised meaning, so we write copy inside the register's wording and build the 3 g into one daily serving.
Do US states restrict muscle health supplements?
Some restrict sales to under-18s. As of October 2026, New York bans sales to under-18s of supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building, and California adds a similar ban from 1 January 2027, with a prescription exception. We position muscle health products for adults, and write labels, age statements and marketing copy to each state's rules as well as FDA's structure and function requirements.
Start your project
Tell us what you want to make. Every project starts with a conversation about your product, your customers and your markets.