Whey
What is whey protein?
Whey protein or lactalbumin / whey protein has the highest biological value of all proteins at 104.
Whey is a waste product of cheese production. The whey protein must be further processed to obtain a protein that is as pure as possible and to reduce the high lactose content. The simplest form is whey protein concentrate with a protein content of 75-85% and a carbohydrate content (lactose) of 3-6%. It also contains 3-4% fat. Whey protein isolate is of better quality, with a protein content of around 90% and a carbohydrate and fat content of less than 1%j. In addition to its high biological value, whey protein also contains a high proportion of BCAAs.
Whey protein provides a maximum amount of protein
It is a dietary supplement and contains a much higher proportion of protein compared to conventional foods.
Whey protein contains a particularly high proportion of the branched-chain amino acids isoleucine, leucine and valine. A distinction is made between whey protein concentrate, whey protein hydrolysate and whey protein isolate due to different production processes.
Other types of protein powder are milk protein powder with an 80% protein content, egg protein powder, which is not often consumed due to its bitter flavour, soya protein powder, which is cholesterol-free, and finally multi-component protein powder, which is a mixture of different types.