Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse (Small-Sided Soccer Games)

CHO solution was a maltodextrin-based mixture containing 6.4% maltodextrin (Protein Ocean, Türkiye). An CHOMR was performed prior to SSGs. The solution was sweetened with non-caloric artificial sweeteners consisting of sucralose. The CHO solution was prepared in an equivalent saccharin base and shaken for 30 seconds in a vortex mixer to ensure distinguishability. Participants swished the solution in their mouth for 10 seconds before SSGs and then emptied it back into the container to be weighed again. To ensure that the solutions were not swallowed, the containers were measured before and after all MRs using a full precision balance (Etekcity, USA) accurate to 1 g/0.04 oz

The PLA solution consisted of purified water. Both solutions were made indistinguishable by adding 50 mg of non-calorific artificial sweetener and 50 mg of sucralose (Fibrelle, Turkey). A 25 ml bolus of 6.4% maltodextrin solution was used in a pre-weighed plastic container and sucralose water was tested as PLA for each rinse solution.