EVANSTON, ILL. –  Using discarded ingredients from dairy companies, a new sports drink called GoodSport gets its electrolytes and hydrating power from ultrafiltered milk.

Largely developed at the checkoff-funded Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, GoodSport contains no artificial flavors, colors or dyes and is both lactose-free and gluten-free. The beverage is available in four flavors: Lemon Lime, Fruit Punch, Wild Berry and Citrus.

GoodSport’s process of upcycling ultrafiltered deproteinized milk – also known as milk permeate – allows it to use electrolytes, vitamins and carbohydrates found in milk and create a clear, light beverage that the company said results in a mouthfeel that consumers expect out of sports drinks.

The upcycled food certified beverage, per GoodSport, comes from a patent-pending formula and features three times the electrolytes and 33% less sugar than traditional sports drinks.

The formulation of GoodSport’s drink involved Dr. Bob Murray, co-founder and former director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

"Having spent my career in hydration and exercise performance research, I've known milk has the ingredients to provide superior hydration, but never before has anyone found a way to transform milk into an extremely effective and refreshing sports drink," Murray said. "It's exciting to be part of the team that's bringing something entirely new with superior hydration to the sports drink category."

While milk contains electrolytes and has effective hydration qualities, its consistency and protein are naturally slow to digest, which made milk-based beverages unappealing for athletes before and during exercise.

GoodSport received the 2021 Dairy Industry Impact Grant from the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance.

The sports drinks come in 16.9-ounce bottles. They are available at retailers in Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and also can be purchased online via Amazon and GoodSport’s online store.