Creatine is a nitrogenous substance produced in the liver, kidneys and pancreas, starting with three other amino acids: arginine, methionine and glycine. The endogenous synthesis described above covers about half of the body's needs, while the residual quota is supplied by foods, in particular those meat (vegetables are without).
The consumer, when buying any creatine-based supplement, requires and demands the maximum purity and quality of the product. Let's start by saying that no supplement contains 100% pure creatine . In the famous and traditional monohydrate, whether it is micronized or not, we find about 88% pure creatine, while the remaining 12% is water. In the effervescent form, due to the higher molecular weight of citrate, the percentage of pure creatine drops to around 50%. Similarly, in the phosphate form, the concentration of creatine is approximately 62%. In many other products the amino acid is combined with vitamin complexes, sugars, or amino acids, to favor - at least in theory - the transport within the muscle cells; consequently, the amount of creatine is often modest.
Not all users know that at the international level there are few creatine producers. The various companies that market supplements are limited to buying the raw material and transferring it directly to the jars (as it happens for the creatine monohydrate or micronized powder); in other cases the raw material is processed to produce more elaborate tablets or formulations, such as those mentioned above. The most well-known and internationally appreciated creatine for its high degree of purity, but also for its higher cost, is creapureTM (SKW-degussa). Companies that use this raw material for their supplements have every interest in clearly specifying it on the label; on the contrary, when this does not happen, creatine is probably of Chinese origin (which, of course, will never be declared on the label). For what has been said, promotional writings of the type "100% pure creatine monohydrate", without a clear reference to the origin of the raw material, are certainly not intended as a guarantee of quality. Similarly, if the price of the product is too low compared to the competitors, it is reasonable to suspect that it does not contain creapure or that it has been cut off with the Chinese.
The problem linked to the purchase of Chinese creatine derives from the greater content of impurities and waste products (such as creatinine, dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine). The most avid consumers, who often need to save money, should be the first to avoid these products, since at high doses the amount of impurities taken becomes consistent.
Some American companies use exclusively made-in-USA creatine for their supplements, boasting a much higher degree of purity than German. In this global market there is also a niche for Italy, thanks to a northern company that produces exclusively creatine citrate for the creapure brand.
