Whey is one of two major sources of protein found in milk (the other is casein.) When cheese is manufactured from milk the curd (casein) is used and the whey is separated out. At this point, whey is about 92% water, 6.5% lactose, 0.9% protein and 0.2% vitamins, minerals and fat-soluble nutrients - not exactly your perfect bodybuilding food. Since whey protein is a byproduct of cheese manufacturing, it must be developed some processing methods in order to achieve the desirable protein concentrations and separate undesirable components.
There are three primary forms of whey protein - concentrate, isolate and hydrolyzed peptides (hydrolysates). To find the right type of whey protein, we must analyze the processing methods in two aspects. At what rate can we separate the undesirable components, and how human is the technology, at what rate can we conserve the natural benefits of the whey.
The whey protein is an extra high quality protein source, with the highest biological value, an exceptionally high BCAA content. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They make up 35% of your muscle mass. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies, they are part of the enzyme and hormonal system, they build RNA and DNA and they carry oxygen throughout the body and regulate blood sugar level. BCAAs are considered essential amino acids because human beings cannot survive unless these amino acids are present in the diet. During intense weight training the BCAA's are involved in maintaining glucose homeostasis, and reserve glycogen stores. The BCAA's stimulate protein synthesis through insulin secretion/activation of the PI3K pathway, and through activation of mTOR.
One pathway through which protein synthesis can be increased is the phosphatodyl-inositol-3-kinase pathway (PI3K). PI3K regulates glucose uptake through GLUT4 translocation and also increases amino acid uptake. Insulin, the body's "storage" hormone, works by activating the PI3K pathway.
Intake of BCAA stimulates expression of the hormone leptin in adipocytes. Leptin is a hormone, which is involved in the regulation of metabolism, body weight, and appetite.
In addition the whey protein is is very easy to digest and efficiently absorbed into the body. Whey protein is absorbed faster form the intestines than any other protein source.
Whey protein contains some highly bioactive peptides. Those fractions help to strengthen the cardiovascular system, decrease the cholesterol level, enhance endogenous glutathione production and have an antithrombotic and pain-killer effect.
Whey protein concentrate are made by using a filtration technology. By varying the time of processing and filtration units it is possible to make concentrates 75-85% protein. Modern concentrates now contain as high as 80-85 % protein with reduced amounts of lactose, fat and cholesterol. In general the whey protein concentrates have higher levels of bioactive compounds. A good concentrates contain far higher levels of growth factors, such as IGF-1, TGF-ß1, and TGF-ß2 like any other sources. They contain much higher levels of various phospholipids, and various bioactive lipids, such as Conjugated Linoleic Acid and they often contain higher levels of immunoglobulins and lactoferrin.
The drawbacks of WPCs are they have slightly less protein gram for gram than an isolate, and contain higher levels of fat (though these fats may in fact have beneficial effects) and higher levels of lactose.
With the isolation process we can obtain higher protein content with minimal lactose and virtually no fat. Ion exchange has the highest protein levels of any isolate. This process revolved around the positive and negative charges, or ion properties, of whey proteins, using an electrical charge to react with the proteins to filter out only the protein. The ion exchange process yields a product that contains more than 90% protein content with minimal fat and lactose.
One disadvantage of the ion exchange process however, is that important peptides can be come denatured (useless). The lower amount of intact peptides could mean less effectiveness when compared to some of the higher quality whey concentrate based supplements. Another potential disadvantage is that ion-exchange whey protein isolates can contain 75 % of beta-lactoglobulin, that are significantly different from the proportions found in mother's milk (15 %). Beta-lactoglobulin is the most allergen fraction of the whey protein.
The micro or nano filtration is a process which uses filtering membranes to screen out fat and lactose, resulting in a whey product containing up to 85 percent protein and as little as 1 percent fat.
The most famous filtration process is the cross flow micro filtration method (CFM). The cross flow micro filtration process produces an isolate that is greater than 90% protein with no fat or lactose, and unlike the ion exchange process cross flow micro filtration leaves almost 100% of the protein and the important peptides intact. Avenmore/Waterfordand patents this process as such there is an added cost for the product but if it is within your budget, it is worth the extra cost.
Whey Protein Hydrolysates are proteins that have been broken into small chains of amino acids called peptides by enzymes. Protein Hydrolysates are more easily digested and typically have a reduced potential for allergic reactions versus non-hydrolyzed proteins. Hydrolyzed proteins may be absorbed in about half the time that it takes whole proteins. The benefit is that the rapid delivery can provide the body with the nutrition it needs when it is needed most like after intense weight training workouts, leading to quicker recovery. One disadvantage of predigested protein is the possible denaturation of the protein micro fractions, including all of its beneficial growth factors and immunoglobulins.because the heat-treatment and pre-digestion process. Because of the higher costs and undesirable bitter flavor the companies don't use whey protein hydrolysates as a primary source of a product. But they can increase the quality of their products with addition of some protein hydrolysates.
Intro text
Proteins