Malate / Malic Acid

The salt/ester of malic acid, a dicarboxylic acid naturally found in apples and many fruits. Malate is a Krebs cycle intermediate involved in aerobic energy metabolism. In supplement formulation, malate appears as a component of combination ingredients: L-Citrulline DL-Malate (Section 61) and potentially in creatine malate formulations. Malic acid is also used as a food acidulant (Codex INS 296). In L-Citrulline DL-Malate, the malate component is theorised to support energy metabolism independently of citrulline's nitric oxide pathway effects — though isolating this contribution in clinical research is methodologically difficult.