Everything You Need To Know About Whey Protein

Whey protein is the most popular muscle supplement, which is considered safe and effective for promoting muscle growth. It is a globally used protein supplement and has been the critical ingredient of muscle-building. But how do you know which is the best whey protein for muscle gain or the one that suits your diet and fitness goals? So instead of picking one, let’s just know more about whey protein, its type, and its composition.

The whey protein is obtained after carrying out specific processes on the cow’s milk. Here is a step-by-step explanation of how the whey protein is processed.

• Collection and Pasteurization – Collecting fresh cow milk is the first step in making whey protein. It is mainly preferred to collect milk from those cows farmed without any antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. Next, the collected milk is then refrigerated in large tanks, after which it is sent for pasteurization. Pasteurization helps in eliminating the harmful bacteria from the milk.
• Separation of whey and casein – The second step includes separating the milk by adding enzymes like chymosin. Adding this enzyme separates the main part of the milk into curds and turns the other part into a liquid that we call whey.
• Micro-filtration and Ultra-filtration – Now comes the micro-filtration part, where liquid whey is sent to filtration facilities for producing high-protein whey. The micro-filtration process involves filtering liquid whey via several ceramic micro-filters in the protein powder manufacturing plant. This process eliminates fats, carbohydrates, and water and gives the base product – the whey protein concentrate. This protein is further sent for the ultra-filtration process, which removes almost all fat and lactose and gives whey protein isolate.
  At XLR8 Sports Nutrition, our company-owned state of the art manufacturing facility promises superior filtration processes with scientifically tested products that have proved effective for all our customers.
• Adding delicious flavors – The final step consists of spray drying the whey protein that completely dries off the water while maintaining the nutritional value. Finally, the unflavoured protein is then sent for protein measurement. Once the quality control checks are completed, it is blended with other ingredients like natural sweeteners, flavors, and other components.
  XLR8 Sports Nutrition follows international standards of protein manufacturing and ensures top-notch quality checks to deliver the best whey to you.

Primarily, there are three types of whey protein. They are as follows:

• Whey Protein Concentrate: This form of whey protein has low fat and carbohydrates. The whey concentrate generally ranges from 30% to 90%, depending on the extent of how concentrated it is.
• Whey Protein Isolate: The whey isolate protein powder contains 90% or more protein. It has low levels of fats and lactose as compared to whey concentrate.
• Whey Protein Hydrolysate: The pre-digested form of the protein has undergone hydrolysis – a protein-absorbing process of the body. The hydrolysate whey powder digests quicker than any other form of protein.

• Higher Biological value – Whey protein is considered the best protein as it provides a higher biological value than other protein sources. The biological value is the measure for protein quality. It is calculated by the amount of nitrogen used for tissue formation divided by the nitrogen absorbed from food.
• Higher PDCAAS – PDCAAS (Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score) is another metric used to check protein quality, and a scale of 0 to 1.00 is used to measure it. The PDCAAS score evaluates the quality of protein and compares the composition of amino acids to what our bodies can absorb.
• The following table shows the biological and PDCAAS value of various types of protein.
  
  The biological value of Whey Protein is 104  whereas it is 100 for a whole egg, and 74 for soy. The bioavailability index of protein is a metric to measure how well your body can absorb protein.  As you can see in the chart, Whey has the highest BV followed by eggs & milk.
• Higher concentration of BCAAS – Whey protein consists of all the essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own, thus, making it a complete protein alternative. Additionally, they have a higher concentration of BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids) than other protein sources like egg, soy, chicken, and peas.

• Allows muscle recovery and growth – The high-quality protein offered by whey defeats other protein sources like soy and casein. In addition, the concentration of the essential amino acids makes it a full-fledged hardcore muscle-building supplement. It also slows down age-related muscle loss and improves strength.
• Reduces Inflammation – Chronic inflammation is a threat to the human body. An increase in C-reactive protein is a clear indication of inflammation in the body. When consumed around one or two doses a day, whey protein supplements have proven to reduce inflammation.
• Increased Satiety – Whey protein is naturally satiating, and one feels full after consuming a serving of it. The increased satiety reduces hunger, which helps avoid consuming excess calories and maintaining the calorie deficit. This is why using whey protein powder for weight loss is a common practice.
• Anti-aging properties – Whey protein has several anti-aging benefits. It helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, increases immunity power, promotes healthy skin and hair, and builds the resistance to fight life-threatening diseases.