Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kiel DiGiovanni, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Have you ever thought about what protein powder is? Like, really think about it? Obviously, it's "protein," but what does that even mean? Where does it come from, and how is protein powder made? These are just a few of the questions this article will answer. This article is for you if you've ever sat and wondered what you're mixing in your post-workout shake.
But let's start with the basics.
What Is Protein?
Protein is one of your three macronutrients, with the other two being fat and carbs. Of these three, protein holds a special place in nutrition as it plays the most significant role in building muscle.
It does this by triggering muscle protein synthesis and optimizing your body's ability to build muscle. It also contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle tissue and support muscle repair and recovery.
Basically, protein helps your muscles grow.
What Is Protein Powder?
First and foremost, you need to understand one thing: protein powder is "real" food.
There is a lot of confusion about protein powder, with some even suggesting it's not "real food"—they claim it's just "processed" food or even that it's not healthy for you. This misconception is likely due to them not having read this article, so they don't understand how protein powder is made.
Of course, there's plenty of nuance on where you draw the line between processed food and unprocessed. However, once you understand what protein powder is and how it's made, you'll likely be surprised at how "real" it is.
That said, protein powder is extracted from a real food source. It's then processed, filtered, and mixed with other compounds, resulting in the protein powder you know and love.
This process can vary depending on the food source resulting in many types of protein, such as milk, peas, and soy. The market has evolved so much that you can buy protein powder derived from steak and organs!
Regardless of where the protein came from, the most important thing to remember is it comes from food! Real food! Saying protein powder isn't real food is akin to saying that an egg white omelet isn't real.
Now let's get to the actual manufacturing process...
How Protein Powder Is Made
Unlike some would have you believe, protein powder is not synthesized inside a lab like fake meat.
As mentioned above, it's derived from real food. As different protein powders come from real food, the first step, getting the protein, will look different depending on the food source.
With that said, we'll take a closer, more detailed look at whey protein as it's the most popular protein powder on the market.
1. Milk Is Collected And Pasteurized.
Whey protein is derived from milk, and while it can come from any mammal's milk, cow milk is most often used. However, many don't realize that casein protein also comes from milk. In fact, only 20% of the protein found in cow milk is whey protein, while the other 80% is casein.
Consider that human milk is 70% whey; you'll see how low that is.¹ However, it's interesting to note that a mother naturally provides her children with a higher percentage of whey protein.
Moooving on…
The first thing that must happen is that the milk must be collected and then pasteurized. Pasteurization is a purifying process in which the milk is boiled at 70-80 ° C to kill any possible bacteria and then instantly cooled to 4° C.
Once the process is complete, the milk is ready to have its protein extracted.
2. The Protein Is Isolated From The Food Source
To separate the whey protein from the other compounds in milk, a substance known as rennet is put into the milk, which causes these two proteins to separate into two substances: a watery substance and a coagulated substance.
The coagulated substance is the casein protein. This is taken and sent off to be processed as cheese but could also be used to make casein protein powder.
The water substance contains whey protein. However, it also contains fats and carbs (lactose).
Read our post on Casein vs Whey to find out how these two substances differ.
3. The Whey Protein Is Filtered
The liquid is then sent through a series of machines to filter out fats and carbs. This results in a whey protein concentrate that is usually around 80-85% protein.
This process, and other filtration processes, could be repeated to create whey isolate. When looking at whey isolate vs concentrate you'll see the protein percentage dramatically increases while the lactose content is reduced. Some manufacturers take this filtration process a step further to break the protein down into smaller peptides resulting in hydrolyzed protein powder.
4. The Liquid Protein Is Dried And Flavored
Once the desired filtration occurs, the purified liquid whey is then dried, either using a huge dryer machine or a process known as spray drying. These processes heat up and draw out the liquid, resulting in a powder.
At this point, the protein powder is free from any coloring or flavors. As pure whey protein doesn't have the greatest taste, it's then sent off to have other compounds added to it, such as flavoring and coloring. These other compounds are then blended evenly, resulting in the final product.
This final powder form is then packaged and sent to help you put on some mass.
Check out the video below to watch how the manufacturing process works.
How Other Protein Powders Are Made
As mentioned above, the general idea is used to make most protein powders. The main difference is the process used to isolate the protein. This process of isolating the protein can look very different depending on the food source.
We'll briefly describe how these other protein powders are made.
Pea Protein
- Yellow peas are harvested and cleaned to remove debris and impurities.
- The cleaned peas are ground into a coarse flour or powder.
- The pea flour undergoes a process of extracting protein from the peas by mixing the pea flour with water to form a slurry.
- The slurry is then centrifuged or filtered to separate the protein from the pea's fiber and starch components.
- Once separated, the protein in the liquid extract is precipitated out. This can be achieved through various methods, such as adjusting the pH or adding enzymes or acids, which cause the protein to coagulate and separate from the liquid.
- The precipitated pea protein is then dried to form a powder.
Looking for the best options on the market? Check out our post that covers the Best Pea Protein Powders.
Rice Protein
- Brown rice is collected and then undergoes a milling process to remove the outer hull, resulting in whole-grain brown rice.
- The brown rice is treated with enzymes to break down the carbohydrates and fibers, allowing the separation of the protein.
- The mixture is then filtered to separate the protein from the remaining solids (fiber, starch, etc.).
- Once separated, the protein in the liquid extract is precipitated out. This can be achieved by adjusting the pH or adding acids or other agents that cause the protein to coagulate and settle out of the solution.
- The precipitated rice protein is then dried to remove moisture and form a powder.
Egg Protein Powder
- Egg whites are first separated from the yolks.
- The egg whites are filtered to remove traces of yolks and other impurities. This step ensures that the protein powder will predominantly be egg white protein.
- The filtered egg whites are pasteurized to ensure they are free from harmful bacteria and pathogens. Pasteurization involves heating the egg whites to a specific temperature and then rapidly cooling them like the milk.
- The pasteurized egg whites are then dried into a powder form.
- Once dried, the egg white protein powder undergoes testing for quality and purity. This includes checks for protein content, absence of contaminants, and adherence to safety standards.
Want to see the top options available today? Head over to our post that covers the Best Egg White Protein Powders on the market.
How Much Protein Should You Eat?
When discussing protein as a whole, not just protein powder, athletes should aim to consume around 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, if you weigh 100kg, you should aim to eat around 200 grams daily.
This is much higher than the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of 0.8 grams per kilogram. People against high-protein diets usually point to this number as proof that you don't need to eat a lot of protein. However, it's important to understand your RDA.
The RDA is an authoritative directive stipulating the daily intake of essential nutrients. Devised to meet the requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals, it sets the standards for nutritional adequacy based on age, sex, life stage, and physiological status.
Note that this number says 97-98% of the population. Therefore, a better way to look at the RDA is to look at the minimum amount most people need to support essential life functions. This includes the sedentary, elderly, and general population.
However, as athletes are putting much greater stress on their muscles, they need more protein to help support their muscles and optimize adaptations. It's the difference between consuming a minimal amount of protein and optimizing your protein intake.
We think you should optimize.
Below is a table from ResearchGate that illustrates protein intake recommendations for the general public.
Is Protein Powder Healthy?
One of the major reasons people ask where protein powder comes from is due to health concerns.
The primary concern is the use of artificial sweeteners in some brands. If you have an issue with that, just be sure to check the nutrition label of your protein powder. There are plenty of protein powders that use natural sweeteners, such as stevia.
While protein powder is considered healthy, this doesn't mean it should be your only source of protein.
How Much Protein Powder Should You Use?
One of the major issues of getting all your protein from powder is that you would miss out on all the nutrients associated with eating meat. Basically, you would be dealing with many of the issues that vegans have to deal with.
The good thing about the possible issue above is that there's an easy fix: Get the majority of your protein from whole food. Assuming you have no medical or special circumstances, you should stick to 1-2 servings of protein powder daily.
This can vary slightly depending on your personal circumstances and daily needs. Still, under normal circumstances, there's no reason to use more than that apart from being lazy or not knowing how to cook!
That said, as long as you keep your protein powder intake to a minimum, protein powder is plenty healthy!
Now you know how much you should consume, you should know when is the best time to drink a protein shake for optimal results.
Do You Need Protein Powder?
No. But it helps.
Let's be clear: You do not need to supplement your diet with protein powder, but there's one caveat—you must be able to get all your protein through your diet.
I mentioned above that 2.0 g/kg is the daily protein you need to build muscle, this can be tough if you're not used to eating a lot. For one, it's just a large quantity. From my perspective, 200 grams of protein would require around 8 chicken breasts, depending on their size.
Getting this much can be challenging simply because it would be incredibly filling (this is why high-protein diets are so effective as weight loss diets!). In addition, high protein meal prep can take time. This can be inconvenient, especially if you need some fast food. Lastly, it can add up to your wallet.
Considering those challenges, protein powder simply provides an efficient and cost-effective method of meeting your protein needs.
If you're looking to buy, check out the Best Protein Powders on the market.
Outro
As we laid out in this article, making protein powder is fairly tame. We're sure it's a bit more complicated than it sounds, but it's not fabricated in a lab through chemical reactions. Ultimately, it's extracted from a food source, isolated, and then dried into powder. This protein powder is then mixed with flavoring, and that's that.
References
- “Human Milk Proteins - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/human-milk-proteins#:~:text=The%20level%20of%20total%20protein%20in%20milk%20is. Accessed 23 July 2024.
Garett Reid
Author