The role of oral science in human performance?

For decades, innovation within performance nutrition has focused almost exclusively on formulation: identifying new ingredients, refining dosages, and optimising combinations of bioactive compounds. Comparatively little attention has been given to the physiology of delivery itself.

The oral cavity represents one of the most specialised physiological environments in the human body. Beyond its role as the entrance to the gastrointestinal tract, the mouth contains highly vascularised mucosal tissues (Brizuela et al., 2026), specialised sensory receptors (Simon et al., 2017), saliva with unique physicochemical properties (Schipper et al., 2007), the oral microbiome harboring on average about 50 to 100 billion bacteria (Krishnan et al., 2017), and distinct epithelial barriers (Groeger et al., 2019) that collectively influence how compounds are retained, dissolved, perceived, and, where appropriate, absorbed. These characteristics have made the oral cavity an area of sustained interest within pharmaceutical sciences for several decades (Patel et al., 2011 & Sattar et al., 2014), particularly for buccal and sublingual drug delivery, yet their application within performance nutrition remains comparatively and seemingly under-explored.

Importantly, oral science extends beyond absorption alone. The oral cavity represents the first point of interaction between a nutritional intervention and the athlete. Delivery format determines not only pharmacokinetic behaviour, but also sensory perception, user experience, convenience, compliance, and ultimately whether an intervention can be used effectively in demanding real-world environments.

At Novamint, we believe delivery deserves the same scientific attention as formulation. Our philosophy is founded on the principle that the mouth should be considered an active physiological interface for performance nutrition, rather than simply a route of administration. By applying principles established within oral drug delivery science to evidence-based performance nutrition, we are exploring how intelligent delivery systems may unlock new possibilities for human performance.

Why the mint format (in Enduro)?

Each mint utilises a dual-absorption pathway, combining conventional gastrointestinal uptake with buccal and sublingual exposure via the oral mucosa. The tissues in the mouth are richly vascularised, allowing select compounds to begin absorption directly into systemic circulation, reducing reliance on first-pass digestion and supporting earlier systemic availability compared to conventional solid oral formats (e.g., caffeine gum/melts show accelerated appearance in plasma vs capsules/solutions in controlled studies ((Morris et al., 2019 & Wickham & Spriet, 2018)).

By facilitating both oral mucosal and gastrointestinal uptake, the format is designed to support efficient delivery and consistent dosing in situations where rapid onset and convenience are priorities. Outcomes from comparable buccal delivery research demonstrate faster time to detectable blood levels for some actives vs traditional ingestion, without the need for mixing, added fluids or encapsulation. As well as improved performance (Paton et al., 2014 & Ryan et al., 2013).

The result is a precisely dosed, portable delivery system engineered for convenience, consistency, and functional performance.

References:

Brizuela M, Winters R. Histology, Oral Mucosa. [Updated 2023 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572115/

Groeger S, Meyle J. Oral Mucosal Epithelial Cells. Front Immunol. 2019 Feb 14;10:208. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00208. PMID: 30837987; PMCID: PMC6383680.

Krishnan K, Chen T, Paster BJ. A practical guide to the oral microbiome and its relation to health and disease. Oral Dis. 2017 Apr;23(3):276-286. doi: 10.1111/odi.12509. Epub 2016 Jul 4. PMID: 27219464; PMCID: PMC5122475.

Morris, C. et al. (2019) ‘Caffeine release and absorption from caffeinated gums’, Food & Function, 10(4), pp. 1792–1796. doi:10.1039/c9fo00431a.

Patel VF, Liu F, Brown MB. Advances in oral transmucosal drug delivery. J Control Release. 2011 Jul 30;153(2):106-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.01.027. Epub 2011 Feb 4. PMID: 21300115.

Paton, C., Costa, V. and Guglielmo, L. (2014) ‘Effects of caffeine chewing gum on race performance and physiology in male and female cyclists’, Journal of Sports Sciences, 33(10), pp. 1076–1083. doi:10.1080/02640414.2014.984752.

Ryan, E.J. et al. (2013) ‘Caffeine gum and cycling performance’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(1), pp. 259–264. doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e3182541d03.

Sattar M, Sayed OM, Lane ME. Oral transmucosal drug delivery--current status and future prospects. Int J Pharm. 2014 Aug 25;471(1-2):498-506. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.05.043. Epub 2014 May 29. PMID: 24879936.

Schipper RG, Silletti E, Vingerhoeds MH. Saliva as research material: biochemical, physicochemical and practical aspects. Arch Oral Biol. 2007 Dec;52(12):1114-35. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2007.06.009. Epub 2007 Aug 10. PMID: 17692813.

Simon SA, Gutierrez R. TRP Channels at the Periphery of the Taste and Trigeminal Systems. In: Emir TLR, editor. Neurobiology of TRP Channels. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2017. Chapter 7. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK476105/doi: 10.4324/9781315152837-7

Wickham, K.A. and Spriet, L.L. (2018) ‘Administration of caffeine in alternate forms’, Sports Medicine, 48(S1), pp. 79–91. doi:10.1007/s40279-017-0848-2.