Whey Protein Concentrates:
First generation whey protein powders contain as low as
30-40% protein and high amounts of lactose, fat, and undenatured
proteins. They are categorized as a whey concentrate and
are used mostly by the food industry for baking and other
uses. Modern concentrates now contain as high as 70-80%
protein with reduced amounts of lactose. This is achieved
through ultra-filtration processing, which removes lactose,
thus elevating the concentration of protein and fat in the
final product. Although much maligned by companies who have
invested heavily in marketing isolates, a well made concentrate
is still a high quality source of whey protein, though it
will contain higher levels of lactose, ash, and fat then
an isolate.
The pros and cons of isolates, and the micro filtered vs.
ion exchange debate
Whey Protein Isolates (WPIs) generally contain as much
as 90-96% protein. Research has found that only whey proteins
in their natural undenatured state (i.e. native conformational
state) have biological activity. Processing whey protein
to remove the lactose, fats, etc. without losing its biological
activity takes special care by the manufacturer. Maintaining
the natural undenatured state of the protein is essential
to its anti-cancer and immune-modulating activity. The protein
must be processed under low temperature and/or low acid
conditions as not to "denature" the protein. WPIs
contain >90% protein content with minimal lactose and
virtually no fat.
The advantage of a good WPI is that it contains more protein
and less fat, lactose, and ash than concentrates on a gram-for-gram
basis. However, it should be clear to the reader by now
that whey is far more complicated than simple protein content,
and protein content per se is far from the most important
factor when deciding which whey to use. For example, ion
exchange has the apparent highest protein levels of any
isolate.
Does that make it the best choice for an isolate? No, but
many companies still push it as the holy grail of whey.
Ion exchange is made by taking a concentrate and running
it through what is called an ion exchange column to get
an "ion exchange whey isolate." Sounds pretty
fancy, but there are serious drawbacks to this method. As
mentioned above, whey protein is a complex protein made
up of many sub fraction peptides that have their own unique
effects on health and immunity. Some of these subfractions
are only found in very small amounts. In truth, the subfractions
are really what ultimately makes whey the unique protein
it is.
Due to the nature of the ion exchange process, the most
valuable and health-promoting components are selectively
depleted. Though the protein content is increased, many
of the most important subfractions are lost or greatly reduced.
This makes ion exchange isolates a poor choice for a true
third-generation whey protein supplement, though many companies
still use it as their isolate source due to the higher protein
content. Ion exchange isolates can be as high as 70% or
greater of the subfraction Beta-lactoglobulin, (the least
interesting and most allergenic subfraction found in whey)
with a loss of the more biologically active and interesting
subfractions. So, the pros of an ion exchange whey is for
those who simply want the very highest protein contents
per gram, but the cons are that the higher protein content
comes at cost; a loss of many of the subfractions unique
to whey. Not an acceptable trade in my view, considering
the fact that the actual protein differences between a micro
filtered type isolate is minimal from that of an ion exchange.
This segues us nicely into looking at the micro filtered
whey isolates. With the array of more recent processing
techniques used to make WPIs-or pull out various subfractions
-such as Cross Flow Micro filtration (CFM?, ultra filtration
(UF), micro filtration (MF), reverse osmosis (RO), dynamic
membrane filtration (DMF), ion exchange chromatography,
(IEC), electro-ultrafiltration (EU), radial flow chromatography
(RFC) and nano filtration (NF), manufacturers can now make
some very high grade and unique whey proteins.
Perhaps the most familiar micro filtered isolate to readers
would be CFM. Although the term "cross flow micro filtered"
is something of a generic term for several similar ways
of processing whey, The CFM processing method uses a low
temperature micro filtration technique that allows for the
production of very high protein contents (>90%), the
retention of important subfractions, extremely low fat and
lactose contents, with virtually no undenatured proteins.
CFM is a natural, non-chemical process which employs high
tech ceramic filters, unlike ion exchange, which involves
the use of chemical reagents such as hydrochloric acid and
sodium hydroxide. CFM whey isolate also contains high amounts
of calcium and low amounts of sodium.
To sum this section up:
- The pros of ion exchange isolates are extremely low fat
and lactose levels, with the highest protein levels (on
a gram-for-gram basis). The con-which outweighs the pros
in my view-is the loss of important subfractions in favor
of higher amounts of Beta-Lac.
- The pros of well-made micro filtered isolates are a high
protein content (90% or above), low lactose and fat levels,
very low levels of undenatured proteins, and the retention
of important subfractions in their natural ratios. There
really are no cons per se, unless the person wants the additional
compounds discussed in the next section.
* = CFM?is a trademark (hence the annoying trade mark symbol
next to whenever I write CFM) of Glanbia Nutritionals, a
large dairy company based in Ireland with production in
the US.
New directions/the future for whey
There are several interesting directions in the development
and processing of the next generation of whey proteins.
Bioactive whey fraction protein
A new generation of whey products known as Bioactive Whey
Fraction (BAWF) protein is soon to hit the market place,
and has the potential to be a worthwhile addition to an
athlete's diet. These new BAWF proteins provide the benefits
of high protein levels (>70%) accompanied by greatly
increased levels of bioactive health-promoting compounds.
This innovative product contains all sorts of interesting
compounds not found in significant concentrations in either
whey isolates or concentrates. BAWF protein contains far
higher total growth factor levels comprised from IGF-1,
TGF-?, and TGF-?. It contains much higher levels of various
phospholipids and various bioactive lipids, such as conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA), phosphotidyl-serine, phosphtidyl-choline,
sphingomyelin, and higher levels of immunoglobulins and
lactoferrin.
Although data is lacking, studies will likely be completed
to demonstrate BAWF protein's effects related to athletes'
muscle mass or performance. Current studies do suggest these
compounds can improve immunity and intestinal health, and
have many other effects that both athletes and less active
people alike may find beneficial. The differences in the
levels of these compounds between this BAWF protein compared
to standard concentrates and isolates is not minor. For
example when comparing a BAWF protein to a typical concentrate
(e.g. WPC 80), the BAWF protein has 350% more lactoferrin,
400% more CLA, 200% more PS more and PC and 150% more IGF
as found in the concentrate. The differences are even larger
between BAWF protein and an isolate as isolates have only
trace amounts of PS, PC, and CLA.
Optimizing subfraction ratios
Another fairly new development in whey processing is the
ability to isolate certain bioactive subfraction proteins
on a large scale from whey proteins, such as lactoferrin
or Glycomacro peptide, using some of the processing methods
mentioned above. This was not possible to do on a large
scale just a few years ago, but can be done today with modern
filtering techniques employed by a small number of companies.
This allows for a truly tailored protein supplement; the
ability to add back in certain subfractions in amounts that
can't be found in nature. Take for example the subfraction
lactoferrin. In many whey products, it is nonexistent due
to the type of processing employed. The best whey products
will contain less than 1% lactoferrin-and more like 0.5%-of
this rare but important micro-fraction. Some companies are
now able to add in a specific subfraction to get a truly
"designer" protein. One company is also working
on making an isolate that will have higher levels of the
beneficial subfraction alpha-lactalbumin, and lower levels
of the more allergenic and less nutritive subfraction Beta-lactoglobulin.
"High alpha-lac" whey isolates would be potentially
superior to what is currently on the market in large scale
production.
Hydrolyzed proteins make a comeback
Most people remember hydrolyzed proteins were all the rage
a few years ago, then dropped off sharply. "Hydrolyzed"
basically means the protein has been broken down partially
into peptides of different lengths. Because the protein
is already partially broken down, it is absorbed faster,
which may have positive effects under certain circumstances,
and certain metabolic conditions (i.e., burn victims or
people with certain digestive disorders and pre-term infants).
Whether or not hydrolyzed proteins are truly an advantage
to athletes has yet to be proven.
The hype over hydrolyzed proteins was largely based on
one rat study that found fasted rats given Hydrolyzed protein
had higher nitrogen retention then rats fed whole protein.
Human studies have shown that whey peptide-based diets in
patients with cancer and crohn's disease result in enhanced
nitrogen retention and utilization. To date, no one has
followed up with a human study with healthy athletes showing
the same thing.
Regardless, the reason Hydrolyzed protein supplements never
became more popular was due to the fact they tasted awful,
were expensive, and lacked enough data to really support
their use. The way they were produced at the time also denatured
the protein heavily. One company has a method for Hydrolyzing
whey protein that uses an enzymatic process that tastes
OK and does not denature the protein. It also appears to
be fairly cost effective. This type of Hydrolyzed whey may
have some interesting, albeit poorly researched, applications
for bodybuilders and other athletes.
Got milk minerals?
Another potentially useful product to bodybuilders and
other athletes is a process for extracting milk minerals
from the milk. This yields a highly bio available form of
calcium without the fat and lactose of dairy products, and
also contains other minerals and nutrients, such as magnesium,
phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, needed for optimal bone
formation and metabolism. Recent research suggests that
higher calcium intakes are associated with lower blood pressure
and other positive effects on health.
Most interesting to bodybuilders and other athletes, however,
is a growing body of research that has found that higher
calcium intake leads to reduced body fat levels and may
help shift the metabolism to increased lipolysis (fat breakdown)
and decrease lipogenesis (formation of fat). Though bodybuilder
types don't tend to suffer from bone density issues, many
may not be getting an optimal intake of calcium to see changes
in body fat levels. This new milk mineral product added
to various protein formulas might be just what the anabolic
doctor ordered for athletes looking to minimize body fat
and maximize muscle mass.
Conclusion
Well there you have it. I hope this article finally clears
up the major confusion people have surrounding whey, so
you can now be an educated consumer when you go to buy that
next can of whey. Don't be fooled by the hype. Whey is great
stuff for many reasons, but you won't "add mounds of
muscle in ultra short time" from the simple addition
of whey to your diet. I also suggest people keep an eye
out for some of the newer developments I outlined above
that will probably be finding their way into the next generation
of whey-based formulas.
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