How Is Protein Powder Made? Whey, Casein and Vegan Proteins

Welcome to Protein Powder 101!

Protein is in a lot of the foods you eat and it’s one of the best ways to build lean muscle, add calories to your dirty bulk (or bulk, then lean out?) and get an aesthetic body.

Protein-based gains could even give you the body of a Greek god or help you get ripped like Spiderman.

But if you need a little something extra, commercial protein powder supplements are one of the best ways to get protein that packs a punch.

Protein powder can help you put on muscle, lose weight, and stick to your goals in the gym.

But those huge supplement containers can look a little intimidating if you don’t understand what you’re sticking in your body.

Let’s get down to it and deconstruct protein powder. Today, we’ll teach you how protein powder is made. Ready to bump up your protein intake?

What is Protein Powder?

Any form of protein that you turn into a powder is considered protein powder. Pretty simple.

Protein powders are commonly either derived from plants (hemp, peas or soy) or animals (eggs sometimes, or whey and casein, the proteins found in milk).

How Do You Make Protein Powder?

Animal Protein Powders

Making a commercial protein powder to be manufactured and sold requires you to extract the protein from either an animal or plant-based source and put it into a powdered form.

Whey Protein

Most animal-based protein powders are made from whey.

You probably see this type of protein the most often in commercial nutrition stores.

Compared to other protein types, whey seems to work better at stimulating muscular growth in humans.

Around 20% of the protein in cow's milk comes from whey. The other 80% comes from another protein called casein.

Casein Protein

Casein proteins exist on the market too. Unlike whey, caseins are considered a “slow-release” protein powder. This means the process of protein synthesis that you get as a kick from using these supplements takes place more slowly.

Usually, the release time from casein is around 4 hours. Research shows that whey protein has a release time closer to an hour or two.

When you use milk to make yogurt or cheese, the leftover watery stuff is whey. This is a quick release type of protein.

It's digested and absorbed faster by your body than casein would be. So if you're looking to take a nap after you work out and you're taking protein, casein is the better choice. This is because it's slower to release into your bloodstream.

Protein Isolate

When you get the liquid whey from cheese, it gets processed to boost the protein content. This is called protein isolate. Isolate is usually around 90% protein.

Protein Isolate has a higher concentration of protein per scoop than other forms of protein powder.

Protein Concentrate

What's left over after this process happens is whey protein concentrate. This 10% remainder is rich in protein but it also contains things like carbohydrates and fat.

Although it can still be a very beneficial supplement, it's a less pure form of protein than whey isolate.

Both isolate and concentrate forms of whey protein contain all nine of the essential amino acids. These are the amino acids your body doesn’t naturally produce.

According to the National Research Council’s Recommended Daily Allowances, the nine amino acids are:

• Histidine
• Isoleucine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Methionine
• Phenylalanine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Valine

Plant-Based Protein Powders

What vegetarian and vegan options are there for protein supplements?

Other ingredients in protein powders can include things like soy, or even eggs. The main ingredient in most vegetarian protein powders is soy.

Soy Protein

To start on the veggie side, an option linked to lower obesity levels and positive outcomes for heart health is soy protein.

Although soy does contain phytoestrogens, despite the “soy boy” stereotype, soy proteins were not found to create estrogenic responses in young men when combined with strength training.

Hemp Protein

If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, hemp protein is another good option. Although not as rich in protein as some other sources (3 tbsp contains about 15 grams of protein, while whey has 20+ grams of protein per serving), hemp contains heart-healthy omega-3s.

Pea Protein

Pea protein is derived from yellow peas made into a powder. This is one of the best vegan sources of protein on the nutritional supplement market.

If you're food-sensitive, pea protein is one of the best options out there that you can use to accommodate a special diet. On top of this, pea protein was found to be one of the best vegetarian options to mimic whey protein, with a similar impact on strength, performance and muscular adaptations.

It has no animal byproducts, so it's acceptable for vegan and vegetarian diets. It's also free of common allergens including things like eggs, shellfish, and peanuts or tree nuts.

Always check the packaging on any protein you consume for trace amounts or shared facilities with protein powder producers that do use these ingredients if you have a severe allergy.

That being said,  pea protein can be a better option for you if you deal with very severe dietary restrictions.

How Much Protein Powder Should You Take?

Depending on what kind of protein you're taking, you can safely consume about 25 to 50 g of protein per day.

Most proteins on the market are sold in large containers with scoops. Their recommended amount is usually around two scoops of protein.

Make sure to read the instructions on the packaging for the protein that you purchase. It may offer up an alternate dose amount that would be more beneficial for you depending on the type of protein.

On average, although it does vary based on what protein type you're taking, a scoop of protein will tend to run you around 120 calories.

This can be great if you're looking to bulk up, but if you're hoping to use protein powder for weight loss benefits It's obviously important to be aware of how much you take.

Always remember to read the expiry date on your protein powder for safety too. You don’t want to make sure your protein powder doesn’t go bad.

What Additives Are in Protein Powder?

So it's not always just protein that you're going to get in your powder.

Fortunately or unfortunately for you, many commercial protein powders come with a lot of different additives.

Although many of the additives are harmless if you're in good health, some could trigger specific allergies or food sensitivities.

Take a look at a few of the most common additives that are included in commercial protein powders:

Sugar

Unsurprisingly, it's easier to take supplements if they're a little bit sweet. Most of us have adapted to like the taste of very sweet things, especially in places like North America, where many foods that you'll find on the grocery store shelves are highly processed and packed full of sugar.

If you're not eating excess dietary sugar elsewhere, you might be okay with a higher sugar protein powder.

Be careful though, refined sugars are generally something that you want to avoid in your diet. They can cause sugar spikes that lead to energy crashes. In large doses, processed sugar is also associated with diabetes, heart disease and obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Heavy Metals

Some research has shown that commercial protein powder can include heavy metals.

In studies from Toxicology Reports, heavy metals are found to be hormonal disruptors. They can throw off the metabolism of your body or your hormonal function, including your thyroid or reproductive system.

The Takeaway

How each protein powder is made depends on what intended effects the manufacturer is hoping to create in terms of purity, protein concentration, and price.

These factors will all influence your ability to buy and use protein powders to fuel your body and get better results in the gym.

Which type of protein powder is best?

That depends on things like dietary concerns, your budget, and your fitness goals.

Concentrates are usually the cheapest type of protein. although they're considered less pure than isolate forms of protein.

Sports nutrition heavily studies protein concentrates, especially whey protein, which is usually considered to be quite safe.

Isolate forms of protein are generally more expensive. This is because they contain around 90% pure protein, compared to concentrated which contain less.

Consider using an isolate if you are sensitive to the additives in protein powder. For example, in whey protein the isolate form has less dairy for people who are sensitive to dairy products. If you need a dairy-free alternative, try a vegan option like pea protein powder.

Some evidence indicates that pea protein may be a closer replicant of whey protein for vegetarians and vegans.

However, this area is still an emerging science and needs more research.

Whey proteins are the most common type of protein for most people to take, with casein another popular option. These are both animal-derived from cow’s milk.

On the veggie side, we have things like pea protein, hemp protein, and soy protein.

Protein Powder Risks

Some commercially available protein powders contain contaminants like hormone-disrupting heavy metals.

Many of them are sugar-rich too. It’s always good to read the nutritional information on a powder. This way you can make sure it’s safe to take and aligns with your fitness goals.

If you're looking to incorporate supplements into your fitness routine, make sure to do your research beforehand.

Retailers consider protein powders dietary supplements. The FDA does not regulate them in the United States.

In Canada, protein supplements, Health Canada regulates protein supplements. In the EU, regional governments regulate supplements.

We recommend speaking to a doctor or a qualified Healthcare professional before adding any supplements to your diet. Always take extra precautions if you are mixing supplements like protein powder and creatine together or using other medications.

References:

Banaszek, A., Townsend, J. R., Bender, D., Vantrease, W. C., Marshall, A. C., & Johnson, K. D. (2019). The Effects of Whey vs. Pea Protein on Physical Adaptations Following 8-Weeks of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT): A Pilot Study. Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 7(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7010012

Bandara, S. B., Towle, K. M., & Monnot, A. D. (2020). A human health risk assessment of heavy metal ingestion among consumers of protein powder supplements. Toxicology reports, 7, 1255–1262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.08.001

Haun, C. T., Mobley, C. B., Vann, C. G., Romero, M. A., Roberson, P. A., Mumford, P. W., Kephart, W. C., Healy, J. C., Patel, R. K., Osburn, S. C., Beck, D. T., Arnold, R. D., Nie, B., Lockwood, C. M., & Roberts, M. D. (2018). Soy protein supplementation is not androgenic or estrogenic in college-aged men when combined with resistance exercise training. Scientific reports, 8(1), 11151. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29591-4

Montgomery K. S. (2003). Soy protein. The Journal of perinatal education, 12(3), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.1624/105812403X106946

National Research Council (US) Subcommittee on the Tenth Edition of the Recommended Dietary Allowances. Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 6, Protein and Amino Acids. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234922/

Rippe, J. M., & Angelopoulos, T. J. (2016). Relationship between Added Sugars Consumption and Chronic Disease Risk Factors: Current Understanding. Nutrients, 8(11), 697. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110697

Schoenfeld, B. J., & Aragon, A. A. (2018). How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1