Pharmaceutical and food industries have today been so committed to the production of dietary supplements. Identified as most required and important, protein powders, drinks and bars have been intensively manufactured to meet the dietary population needs of the public. The most important product found in these dietary products is whey, a dairy product. Whey also have different forms through which they are identified, for example, whey isolate and whey concentrate.
Whey protein, a product from dairy, is the most common type of protein present in popular dietary supplements. In quick understanding, it is the fast-digesting dairy product protein. This article provides a comparison between whey isolate and whey isolate and indicates the one which higher nutritional value.
Whey protein
Milk is the source of a greater proportion of proteins present in protein drinks, bars and powders. Whey is the remaining liquid which is obtained from processing milk to form cheese or yoghurt. It contains proteins which are fast-digesting, hence the name whey protein. Unprocessed milk constitutes of about 20% whey protein and 80% casein proteins which are slow –digesting. Both casein and whey proteins are considered to be of high- quality as they are made up of all the amino acids which are vital for proper functioning of the body.
To increase the production of new protein in your muscles, whey is definitely considered. Many types of whey protein supplements exist in the market today but only two are common; whey isolate and whey concentrate. The two differ from the processing techniques and nutritional content. Each has a specific technique that refines them.
Difference between Whey Isolate and Whey Concentrate
The differences that exist between whey isolate and concentrate is by the variation in the processing methods. The collected by-product of cheese and/or yoghurt (liquid whey) undergoes several steps of processing to increase the protein content in it. After achieving a sufficient concentration of protein, that liquid is dried to form a powder of whey concentrate. This consist approximately up to 80% protein weight while the remaining 20% is dominated by carbohydrates and fats.
And when the whey liquid is processed in a way to reduce the fat and carbohydrate content of whey, a 90% whey isolate powder is produced. This kind of whey is more protein in weight than any other nutrients. Therefore, whey isolate processing produces a product that is high in protein but very low in fats and carbohydrates per serving. But, both whey isolate and concentrate preserve the same types of amino acids in their content composition since they are even obtained from the same proteins.
The differences depicted from a 100-calorie serving of both whey isolate and whey concentrate are as follows: While whey isolate has 23 grams of protein, whey concentrate has 18 grams. When whey isolate has 1 gram of carbohydrate, whey concentrate has 3.5 grams of carbohydrate. When the fat content of whey isolate is 0 grams, whey concentrate has 1.5 grams. And while whey isolate has a gram concentration of up to 1 gram lactose, whey concentrate has a lactose concentration of up to 3.5 grams. And in terms of cost, whey isolate is much higher-priced as whey concentrate is lower-priced.
Whey isolate may be the recommended choice for the lactose-intolerant individuals because they have very little concentrates of lactose content. They have a generally lower total carbohydrate content. However, the lactose amount in both forms of whey products are likely to be used by lactose intolerant persons. Cost difference is quite distinct in both the whey products. Evidently, whey isolate product is more expensive than whey concentrate. Based on the level of purity and concentration, whey isolate is likely to be more in its protein dosage at its little quantity level, while whey concentrate might require you to take a larger quantity to achieve same dosage as of the whey isolate.
Sub-Summary: Whey isolate apparently undergoes a much more processing compared to whey concentrate. This effects into quite higher protein content but less fats and carbohydrates. And whey isolate is generally more expensive than whey concentrate.
Both Forms Have Similar Benefits
Studies validate the importance of whey proteins on general active people health-wise. One of the study depicted that whey protein supplements (both isolate and concentrate) had improved on lean mass and strength of the 192 individuals who were actively exercising. However, no strong evidence indicated whey isolate and whey concentrate had impacted differently on their bodies, irrespective of the noted minor differences in nutritional contents.
Abundant source of protein for intake that is universally recommended are mainly derived from high-quality sources such as dairy, poultry and eggs. It is importantly noted that factors defining intake is individual’s total daily intake. If an equivalent dosage of whey isolate and whey concentrate is used or taken, they are likely to produce similar effects because of high-quality proteins in them.
Individuals limiting fats and carbohydrates may need whey isolate supplements because of the less concentration of those nutrients in the supplement. Here, whey isolate may produce a difference from whey concentrate which has 20% of fats and carbohydrates. Most supplements in this way are processed with in-concentration of whey isolate and whey concentrate for s desired effect by the body of the users.
Sub-Summary Research may supports beneficial effects of whey protein for active individuals but there is lack clear evidence on differences exhibited in the effects whey isolate have over whey concentrate.
Conclusion
Whey protein are essential ingredients of dietary supplements because they are fast-digesting proteins for humans. We have two forms of these proteins; whey isolate and whey concentrate. Biggest difference between whey isolate and whey concentrate is in the processing. Whey isolate as an end product of processing has more protein content than whey concentrate. However it has less carbohydrates and fats per serving. Even so, the nutritional difference noted are quite small, almost negligible, and there is hardly a strong support to support the difference in their effects.
In terms of those limiting fats, whey isolate is good due to its less carb and fat contents. It provides a necessary therapy for fat limiting. However, it is more expensive. If you take a higher dose of whey protein, it produces a same amount of protein as in whey isolate at slightly lower quantity. However, it is of lower cost advantageously. Whey protein will help you (irrespective the form) to meet your protein intake goals because of the high-quality protein they have.