Ajinomoto built this one
around alanine.
Almost every amino product in a sports aisle is BCAA or EAA, sold for recovery. This is not that. It is a carbohydrate gel — 24g of carbs a sachet — carrying 2500mg of amino acids that are almost entirely alanine: 2250mg alanine and 250mg proline. Made in Japan by Ajinomoto, who have been producing amino acids industrially since 1909.
Alanine, not leucine.
Ajinomoto make several amino VITAL products and they are not interchangeable. The ones aimed at recovery are built on BCAAs — leucine, isoleucine, valine. Perfect Energy is built on alanine and proline instead, and it is the only one in the range sold as a gel with carbohydrate in it.
That is the honest description of the difference: a different amino acid profile, in a different format, for a different moment. It is a fuel gel with amino acids in it rather than an amino supplement you take afterwards.
We are not going to make a performance claim for you here. The useful facts are the ones on the pack: 2500mg of amino acids, 24g of carbohydrate and 109 Calories in a 45g sachet.
Alanine and proline are both non-essential amino acids — the body makes them, unlike the nine essential ones.
Dispatched from our Sydney warehouse. Standard shipping $15, free on orders of $100 or more. Compare our other gels →
45 grams, and most of it is fuel.
A 45g sachet is a large gel by the standards of the category — more liquid, less paste. Here is what it carries.
Amino acids
2500 mg
— Alanine
2250 mg
— Proline
250 mg
Carbohydrate
24 g
of which sugars
6 g
Energy
109 Cal
Amino acid quantities are the manufacturer's front-of-pack declaration. Energy and macros are from the Ajinomoto nutrition panel. There is also vitamin B2 in the formula, added as part of a vitamin premix.
Four sachets. 180 grams total.
Four single-serve 45g pouches in a carton, not a tub or a powder. Nothing to mix — you tear one open and take it.
The flavour is grapefruit, which is worth knowing before you order: it is sharp and citrus-bitter rather than the sweet berry or cola most gels land on. People tend to have an opinion about it either way.
No allergens are declared. It is made in a facility that also handles tomato, shellfish, pine nut and sulphites, so the precautionary statement covers those.
Made in Japan by API Co., Ltd. at its Ibigawa factory, for Ajinomoto. Store away from direct sunlight in a cool place.
During the session, not after it.
On the bike
A jersey-pocket sachet for long rides. 24g of carbs a serve, and a 4-pack covers a decent day out.
Race day
The standard use for a carb gel — spaced through a half or full marathon rather than taken all at once.
Long and slow
Hikes, trail days, anything where you are out for hours and food is inconvenient.
It is fuel, not a recovery product. If what you want is amino acids after training, a BCAA or EAA powder is the category you are looking for — this one is carbohydrate first.
Against the other things on this site.
yohemite Energy Gel
Cheaper per sachet, plant-based and built on Canadian maple sap rather than amino acids. If you want a straightforward carb gel, or you want vegan, that is the one. It also comes in a caffeine version; this one has no caffeine on the ingredient list at all.
A BCAA or EAA powder
A different product for a different job. Those are taken around training for recovery and carry little or no carbohydrate. This is 24g of carbs with 2500mg of amino acids alongside — you would not substitute one for the other.
A supermarket carb gel
Usually a smaller, denser 30–40g sachet. At 45g this one is larger and more liquid, which some people find easier to get down mid-effort and others find is simply more to swallow. Worth trying a box before committing.
Sachet sizes for other gels are a general market range, not a measurement of a specific competitor — check the pack on whatever you are comparing.
A carton of four. Nothing to prepare.
One small carton holding four sealed 45g pouches, 180g in total. It lives in a drawer or a race bag and needs no fridge.
Each pouch is a single serve with a tear top, so it opens one-handed without needing scissors or a bottle to mix into.
Three gels, three different builds.
Questions answered.
Is this a BCAA product?
No. This is worth being clear about, because amino VITAL also make BCAA products and the branding looks similar. The 2500mg in Perfect Energy is alanine (2250mg) and proline (250mg) — neither of which is a BCAA. If you specifically want leucine, isoleucine and valine, this is the wrong product in the range.
Is it a gel or a powder?
A gel. The pack is marked "ENERGY GEL" and each 45g pouch holds a ready-to-take liquid gel. There is nothing to mix and no water needed to prepare it.
How many are in a box, and how big are they?
Four sachets, 45g each, 180g in the carton. One sachet is one serve at 109 Calories, so a box is 436 Calories in total.
Does it have caffeine?
No — there is no caffeine on the ingredient list. If you want caffeine in a gel, the yohemite Caffeine 110 carries natural caffeine from guarana.
What does grapefruit taste like in a gel?
Sharp and citrus-bitter rather than sweet. The flavour is a synthetic grapefruit flavouring with citric acid behind it, which cuts through better than a sweet gel when you are hot — but it is genuinely a matter of taste, and a 4-pack is a reasonable way to find out.
What is in it?
Glucose syrup and water as the base, DL-alanine at 5.5% and L-proline at 0.6%, plus sugar, citric acid, sodium citrate, an acidity regulator, grapefruit flavour, a vegetable gum thickener and a vitamin premix carrying vitamin B2. The full list is at the bottom of this page.
Are there allergens?
None are declared. It is made in a facility that also handles tomato, shellfish, pine nut and sulphites, so the precautionary statement covers those. If you react to trace exposure, that is the line to read.
How should I store it?
Away from direct sunlight, somewhere cool. No refrigeration needed. The best before date is printed on the underside of the carton and on each sachet.
Shipping & Returns
- Dispatched from our Sydney warehouse within 24 hours on business days
- Sent with Australia Post, Australia-wide
- Standard shipping $15, Express $20, free on orders of $100 or more
- If an item arrives damaged, faulty or incorrect, we cover return postage and send a replacement or refund
- For change-of-mind returns, return postage is covered by you. Please contact us first
This is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Perfect Energy, in full.
Nutrition Information
Servings per carton: 4 · Serving size: 45 g (1 sachet)
| Average quantity | Per sachet | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 456 kJ | 1013 kJ |
| Calories | 109 | 242 |
| Protein | 3 g | 6.7 g |
| Fat, total | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saturated | 0 g | 0 g |
| Trans | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrate | 24 g | 53.3 g |
| Sugars | 6 g | 13.3 g |
| Sodium | 80 mg | 178 mg |
Figures are taken from Ajinomoto's own nutrition panel for this product and converted to per-100g. Cholesterol is 0 mg and dietary fibre is 0 g.
A Japanese fuel gel built on alanine, not BCAAs.
- Dispatched within 24 hours
- Made in Japan by Ajinomoto
- Sent with Australia Post
