What’s the difference between whey protein concentrate and whey isolate? This legitimate question is invariably followed with a second question: "But which one is the best?"
Let’s see what it’s all about. Firstly, whey is not "a" protein but a group of proteins put together according to their solubility and the method of extraction (whey isolate, whey hydrolysate, whey concentrate). Whey is produced by putting a coagulant in milk; the part that coagulates is cheese, and the one that doesn’t is the whey or more precisely the fractions of whey.
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Whey concentrate: Whey concentrate (WPC80) is normally standardized at 80% per volume (grams of protein vs grams of total powder in the scoop). The rest of the calories come from carbs and fat usually found in a concentrate. The carbohydrates found in a concentrate are essentially from lactose. And, many adults don’t produce enough lactase to fully digest it – which can cause bloating and gas. For those of you who are not lactose intolerant, whey concentrate could well be the best bang for you buck!
Whey isolate: Contrary to what many people think the isolate is not much different from the concentrate. It’s obtained by simply removing all the sugar (yes, lactose is a sugar) and fat. This will yield a 90% pure protein, the other 10% being made of flavours and sweeteners. One way to assess the quality of an isolate is by its sodium content – the less the better.
The ISO PRO from DSL sits at the top with a super low 6mg for 27gr of protein!
Here’s an analogy to better understand the difference between a concentrate and an isolate. You’re at the super market in the meat section. On display you see a piece of porter house at 40$/kilo and next to it a filet mignon at 60$/kilo. You hesitate. The butcher tells you that the filet has more tenderness but that the porter house has more flavour. But ounce for ounce, if we exclude the fat, both pieces will give you roughly the same nutrition from amino acids, iron, B-12 etc. Of course if price doesn’t matter most people would go with filet mignon.
To shed some more light on the whey isolate vs whey concentrate, let’s do a comparison test based on the following 7 criterias:
1─ Taste: The concentrate wins, with a better, stronger flavour.
2─ Solubility: With no fat, no sugar and no fiber whatsoever, the isolate mixes much better.
3─ Digestibility: Without lactose, fat or fiber, advantage for the isolate.
4─ Mouthfell: The concentrate wins this round because the fat and fiber gives a luscious texture.
5─ Ingredients: With purity of ingredients and barely no sodium, the isolate wins this one easily.
6─ Price: Because of price vs quality, another win for the concentrate.
So, yes the isolate is more expensive… However, if we compare a shake of whey isolate (200ml of almond milk with a small banana + 1 scoop of whey isolate) to an egg or turkey sandwich sold in a health food store, it’s easy to realize that at less than 3.00$ (versus 5$ or 6$ for the sandwich) the whey isolate shake is a bargain!
7─ Efficiency: From a health and muscle performance point of view, the isolate has a slight advantage due to its higher leucine (protein synthesis) and cystein (anti-oxidant) content.
This make the whey isolate the winner of our comparative match by a score of 4 to 3, but whichever you choose, make sure to get a superior quality product. Whether in the concentrate or isolate form, DSL Supplements offers you a quality beyond compare in an outstanding choice of flavors!
Enjoy those yummy shakes.
Daniel Tremblay
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