The boom in protein production came in the 90s, when its high anabolic properties and bioavailability were proven and announced. Today it is the most demanded dietary supplement not only among athletes, but also ordinary people. Protein (English protein - protein) is a pure protein that is easily and practically without residue absorbed by the body. It is a concentrated powder that stimulates intracellular protein synthesis necessary for muscle growth. At the same time, protein is used even for weight loss. With a protein diet using protein, fat is burned without harming the muscles, a person does not feel a breakdown, and metabolism remains at a high level.
Types of Protein and Market Trends
Modern protein manufacturing plants produce four main types of it:
- Whey (Whey Protein).
- Soy (Soy Protein).
- Casein (Casein protein).
- Egg Protein
All these are dietary, natural, 100% digestible high-protein products from organic raw materials with a low content of fats and carbohydrates.
The latest trend in the protein supplement market is the combination of several protein products in one product. One option is to combine whey protein with casein. The latter is slowly absorbed by the body and serves as a source of amino acids for blood for a long time. The combination of casein and whey protein is suitable for both daily use and at bedtime. This makes it possible to avoid catabolism, which can be triggered by a long break between meals in connection with sleep.
Recently, in the production of protein, soybean concentrate has been increasingly added to the whey protein-based end product. It is also absorbed quickly and contains a large amount of glutamine, arginine and BCAA amino acids (a complex of three amino acids with branched chains). In addition, soy protein accelerates recovery.
The inclusion of egg protein in the composition of protein preparations, which is completely devoid of carbohydrates, increases the activity of the secretion of anabolic hormones.
And yet, after conducting a series of comparative analyzes, the researchers identified whey protein as the best protein product to stimulate intracellular protein synthesis and muscle growth.
Whey Protein
This is a concentrated protein that is isolated from whey. The composition includes alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin, globular proteins and about 8% of serum albumin. Simply put, this food concentrate is a “full-fledged” protein, which also contains in large quantities the amino acids necessary for the body - valine, leucine and isoleucine (BCAA complex). These are important "building" blocks of muscle tissue, without which protein synthesis and muscle growth are impossible.
Whey protein is absorbed extremely quickly, easily and without residue by the body. This product corresponds to the highest coefficient of biological activity - an indicator that determines the amount of protein absorbed from the eaten volume. Medical studies have proven the overall health benefits of whey protein. Its use stimulates the body's resistance to certain cancers, normalizes blood pressure, and strengthens the immune system.
Production
Liquid whey is a by-product of the production of milk coagulation (e.g. cheese making).The serum protein content is negligible, and for a long time this by-product was simply classified as waste and poured into the sewer. Only after many decades, the development of technology allowed to establish the production of protein on equipment that allows the isolation of protein from whey in industrial quantities.
The technology for isolating protein from whey involves several steps. Initially, the process of milk curdling is carried out, the cottage cheese and whey are separated. The content of minerals, lactose, lactalbumin in the obtained initial serum does not exceed 5%. In the next step, the liquid product is pasteurized and filtered. The filtered whey protein is then concentrated and dried. The resulting product contains from 60 to 97% protein. The production of whey protein is a rather complicated process that is not possible at home.
Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC)
When isolating any type of protein, filtration is an integral and one of the most important procedures. In the production of protein, whey is passed through a specific sieve, on which protein fractions are retained.
The first technology for producing a concentrated protein product was filtering whey through ceramic membranes with very small holes. Despite the unimaginably small size, molecules of fats and carbohydrates freely pass through such openings, but larger protein fractions settle. Whey protein collected from the membrane was sent under high temperature to dry to a protein powder state.
The disadvantage of whey protein concentrate is the purity of the filtration. It is technically impossible to get holes in the membrane of the same cross section, therefore a mixed mass settles, in which the proportion of protein is 35-8 5%, while honest manufacturers maintain the protein content in their products at least 70-80%. As a result, the concentrate is not the purest protein product, it may contain excess carbohydrates and fats, which can lead to excessive gas formation in the body. Whey concentrate is a good yield with limited financing of production, therefore it is the cheapest on the market. The protein fractions of the protein obtained by this technology retain all their beneficial properties.
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI)
Protein Isolate is a significantly cleaner product. It is obtained by continuous filtration, also called ion exchange. The result is a dry mass with a protein fraction of up to 95%. Whey isolate contains virtually no fat and carbohydrate lactose, ideal for use. Very often, manufacturers use a mixture of isolate and concentrate in the finished product, which can significantly reduce the cost of the finished mixture, but the whey protein content does not exceed 70%. Experts recommend carefully reading the information on the label and choosing a product in which the main component is the isolate.
Whey Protein Hydrolyzate (WPH)
The production of protein by hydrolysis, in which large protein molecules are divided into separate fragments. A similar process occurs in the digestive tract and takes away a lot of energy from the body. The protein hydrolyzate removes such a need in the body, the resulting protein is absorbed immediately. Some experts believe that when restoring muscle, you only need to take a hydrolyzate, although it is worth considering that this is the most expensive type of protein. It is worth noting that the capabilities of modern equipment allow you to configure hydrolysis in such a way that the content of small protein fractions can be only 3-50%. This can significantly reduce the cost of the product. With a low content of small fragments, such a protein is bitter.
Filtration methods
The production of whey protein primarily involves the filtration of whey from lactose and fats using one of the following technologies:
- Ultrafiltration - passing serum through extremely small holes of a ceramic membrane under high pressure. Large protein fractions settle on the membrane, which are sent for further processing.
- Microfiltration is a method of additional filtration of protein mass obtained by ultrafiltration at low temperature. Thanks to microfiltration, it is possible to additionally weed out fat molecules, reducing their content in protein mass from 1% or more.
- Ion exchange. To separate protein molecules from lactose, fat and other components, charged ions are introduced into the liquid serum, which bind only to the protein. Further, using the potential difference, protein is isolated through ions. The disadvantages of this filtration method include: the loss of part of the useful fractions and the ingress of intermediate chemicals into the finished product.
- Hydrolysis is a chemical process of splitting large protein molecules into small parts called peptides and are quickly absorbed by the body.
Russian-made protein
Russian protein samples appeared on the market relatively recently. Until that time, including the Soviet Union, the sources of nutrients for athletes were mainly natural products: eggs, milk, cottage cheese, fish, beef, cereals and legumes. Moreover, their athletic performance sometimes reached legendary levels.
The active production of protein in Russia began with an increase in loyalty in the requirements for the quality of food products, including sports nutrition, the use of which was rapidly gaining momentum. Now, domestic-made protein is gradually gaining popularity on a global level. Among the most famous brands: Hercules, ATech, PureProtein, Ironman, LadyFitness. Perhaps in the near future, Russian brands will compete with such well-known and oldest protein manufacturing corporations as Optimum Nutrition.
