Protein Types

When you are buying protein based supplements you will see many different types of protein listed and the prices vary depending on the type - to help you out with this we have put together a little 'cribsheet' to look at when trying to remember what the difference between a concentrate and a hydrolysate is!

• Whey Protein Hydrolysate
  This is the fastest acting protein source and is absorbed by the body as it has been pre-digested by enzymes to break down the protein. This is generally only found in very specialist products as it is much more expensive than other forms of whey. A hydrolysate product will taste very bitter.
  
  
• Whey Protein Isolate
  Coming in after hydrolysate is whey protein isolate. Whey isolate is whey protein that has been further filtered to remove more of the fat and lactose from the protein - this means that whey isolate is by definition higher in protein than whey concentrate. Two good options here are Boditronics Whey2o or Gaspari IntraPro.
  
  
• Whey Protein Concentrate
  The most common form of protein on the market - whey concentrate is a staple of most bodybuilders diets and with good reason - whey protein has the highest biological value (BV) of any protein and a concentrate product typically has around 70% protein which is ideal for most people looking to get affordable yet high quality protein into their diet. Whey concentrate is found in most protein shakes, for example MET-Rx Supreme Whey and Sci-MX Ultragen Whey Protein.
  
  
• Egg Protein
  Egg protein that you find in most products is egg white (or egg albumen, same thing) powder and while it isn't as quickly absorbed as a whey protein would be egg protein is the most bioavailable of any whole food. Egg protein's slower release make it a very popular addition to time-released protein blends such as Sci-MX GRS-5 Protein System.
  
  
• Milk Protein
  Both whey and casein are extracted from milk - and milk protein is as it sounds like, a combination of roughly 80% casein and 20% whey. This gives milk protein a nice creamy taste but a slower release than egg and whey proteins.
  
  
• Micellar Casein
  Micellar casein is the slowest releasing protein which makes it ideal for use before bed as it forms a 'gel' in the stomach which can take 6-8 hours to be fully absorbed - typically you want to be getting at least 8 hours sleep per night so casein is a good choice here. A perfect choice for before bed is Boditronics Midnight Express as it contains primarily casein but also HMB, glutamine and flaxseed oil to further help recovery.