How is creatine made?

Have you ever wondered how creatine is made? Learn where the world's best supplement comes from and how it's manufactured.

Many bodybuilders have no idea how creatine is made or where it is derived from – natural or synthetic sources.

Creatine is produced naturally by our bodies through the combination of three amino acids—glycine, arginine, and methionine. Creatine can also be found in red meat and fish, but extracting large quantities would be impractical and likely very expensive. Have you ever imagined using fish or red meat just for the creatine?

Creatine can be produced synthetically in the laboratory using several methods, including chemical synthesis and microbial fermentation.

In chemical synthesis, the most common and used method to produce creatine in supplement form, it is produced by combining cyanamide, which is a nitrogen-rich chemical compound, with sarcosine, a natural amino acid found in foods such as meat and eggs.

The chemical reaction is carried out in several stages, involving the addition of other compounds and the purification of the final product.

In microbial fermentation, creatine is produced from the fermentation of a sugar substrate by genetically selected bacteria. The process involves using microorganisms to convert the sugar into creatine, which is then purified and isolated from the fermentation medium. This is not the usual method used industrially.

After production, creatine can be transformed into different forms , such as creatine monohydrate , which is the most common form of creatine found in dietary supplements.

Specifically speaking of creatine monohydrate, it is produced from the crystallization of creatine (done in the process already explained) in an aqueous environment, resulting in a white, crystalline powder that is easily soluble in water.

It is important to note that different methods of producing creatine can result in products with different degrees of purity and quality, and that the choice of production method can affect the properties and benefits of the dietary supplement.

The creatine we consume is synthetically (artificially) produced by the manufacture of 2 chemicals – sarcosine and cyanamide.

Although these substances are chemical, at the end of the process they become a single product that is safe for human consumption. The reaction between the chemicals sarcosine and cyanamide with a specific amount of water is the only way to create creatine synthetically.

The process for creating creatine has always been the same. The only thing that has changed is advances in technology, which have improved the mixing process, consequently improving the quality and effectiveness of the creatine available on the market today.